Gareth Saxe Dons the Scar Mask Again in Broadway’s ‘Lion King’

Gareth Saxe will make his return as Scar tonight in the Broadway version of “The Lion King.”

Saxe first took on the role in June 2010, and has been performing it off and on since that time. During his time off from performing as Scar he has been seen Off Broadway in the Atlantic Theater Company’s production of “Harper Regan” and a production of “Nikolai and the Others” at Lincoln Center.

The Broadway version of “The Lion King” plays at the Minskoff Theatre, and currently is the fifth-longest running show in Broadway history. It’s also the highest-grossing show in the history of Broadway

Based on the 1994 Disney film of the same name, the Broadway version debuted on November 13, 1997 and won six Tony Awards the following year, including Best Musical. Julie Taymor also won a Tony for Best Direction of a Musical, making her the first woman to ever receive that award.

The music for the musical features music by Elton John and lyrics by Tim Rice. The duo wrote all the songs for the original film and teamed up again to write three additional songs for the Broadway musical version. The musical also features additional music by Lebo M, Mark Mancina and Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer. The book is by Rogers Allers and Irene Mecchi, and is produced by Disney Theatrical Productions.

Since its debut on Broadway, the show has expanded to 19 productions around the world, and a total of over 65 million people have seen the show. It is estimated that the show has grossed a cumulative total of nearly $5 billion since it first opened. In all, the show has won over 30 major awards, including the six Tony Awards. Other awards include eight Drama Desk Awards and two Laurence Olivier awards.