Photos Joan Marcus, 2010, Copyright Disney Theatrical Productions

Director Julie Taymor may have taken some hits before leaving the current production of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, but her work on The Lion King back in 1997 solidified her as a visionary in the theatre. She also designed costumes, for which she won a Tony, as well as masks and puppets with Michael Curry. Tony-winning designs were also put forth for lighting by Donald Holder and scenic by Richard Hudson, with sound design by Tony Meola and projection design by Geoff Puckett. One reader notes that it “brought one of Disney’s best animated feature films to the stage with innovative interpretations of the two-dimensional images, including the emotionally charged stampede scene and some of the best puppetry and masks on Broadway at that time.”