Watch Elton John sing 'Can You Feel the Love Tonight' to celebrate 25 years of 'The Lion King' on Broadway

"It changed my whole life," the singer said about "The Lion King."

November 10, 2022, 9:14 AM
Elton John plays the piano and sings "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from "The Lion King."
Elton John plays the piano and sings "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from "The Lion King."
Courtesy of Elton John

Elton John is celebrating 25 years of "The Lion King" on Broadway with the song he wrote for the 1994 film.

At a private event, the "Rocket Man" singer performed "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" in honor of the show's 25th anniversary on Broadway and was made possible by producer Iris Smith, Rocket Entertainment, and Israel Schachter/CharityBids. The Broadway production features the award-winning song.

Elton John sings "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" to a crowd in celebration of "The Lion King" on Broadway.
Courtesy of Elton John

"'The Lion King' on Broadway is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and for a show to have run this long is very rare and it's extraordinary," John said in a video from the event ahead of his performance. "It was one of the greatest things to happen in my life in 1993 when Sir Tim Rice rang me up and said, 'Disney don't think you want to do this, will you do "The Lion King?"' and I went, 'Are you kidding me?' "

"It changed my whole life," he added. "Because it's such a magical show, brilliantly put on the stage by Julie Taymor. Everytime you go and see it, you just get goosebumps. It's extraordinary and I'm so proud to be a part of it."

Circle of Life scene from Disney's "The Lion King" musical on Broadway in New York. The show will kick off its 25th anniversary celebration this November.
Disney

"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" won the 1994 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe for Best Original Song that same year. Elton John also won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

Pearl Khwezi as Nala in Disney's "The Lion King" musical on Broadway in New York.
Disney

The Broadway production of "The Lion King" opened on Nov. 13, 1997. Taymor, the director, costume designer and mask co-designer for the musical, became the first woman to win a Tony Award for Best Director of a musical and is still involved with the show. The milestone is only the third time a Broadway production has reached the quarter-century milestone, according to the company.

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