The production, set for a formal opening at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 16, will also offer two preview performances at 8 p.m. Sept. 15 and 1 p.m. Sept. 16. The show is selling seats for a six-week run, with sales for a block of seats through Oct. 28 for now. However, the hall is booked until Dec. 10, suggesting a series of likely extensions.

The massive technical demands of the production, which won the 1998 Tony Award for Best Musical, will mean some modification of the Blaisdell Concert Hall. The opening sequence features oversize puppet characters traipsing through the audience, so fixed seats will be removed to widen the two side aisles, reducing the 2,100 capacity by at least 200 seats.

The Cheetah Company, one of two national touring productions, will be heading to Honolulu.

The show, performed by a cast of 40, features a score by Elton John and Tim Rice, and features their Academy Award-winning song, "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." Among the other popular tunes: "The Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata." It is heading to its 10th anniversary, with a South African company opening in June and a French rendering in Paris due in September.

Originally directed by Julie Taymor, who earned a Tony Award, "The Lion King" is memorable for its liberal use of masks and puppetry that often extend the conventional actor's "performance," since actors play animals and don and move certain body costume accents.

Internationally, "The Lion King" has grossed more than $2.2 billion and has been seen by more than 30 million in 45 cities.

"THE LION KING"