a limited run at Shanghai's Grand Theatre from July to September 2006. This production was led by Buyi Zama and was performed in English, though a couple of Chinese elements were added to the story. From June 14, 2016, until October 8, 2017, The Lion King returned to China, in a new production that was staged at the 1,200 capacity Walt Disney Grand Theatre, in the Shanghai Disney Resort, where it ran for 500 performances. This production was performed in Mandarin and led by Ntsepa Pitjeng. During the show's run in China, Chinese elements were included in the musical. One of the songs was adapted to a well-known Chinese pop song, "Laoshu ai dami" or "Mice Love Rice". Australia The show played at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney, Australia, from October 16, 2003, until June 26, 2005. The production then ran at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne from July 28, 2005, until June 4, 2006. The Lion King returned to Sydney's Capitol Theatre on December 12, 2013. International tour On March 28, 2018, the first international tour officially opened at the Solaire Resort & Casino in Manila, with stops in Singapore, South Korea (Daegu, Seoul, and Busan), Taipei, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Auckland, and Abu Dhabi. All these countries have had productions so far, except the Philippines, Hong Kong , Thailand, New Zealand and United Arab Emirates. The tour is performed in English, with subtitles in each country's official language projected in the screen, with alterations in the script to make references to local culture. As a result of the 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak and subsequent evacuation of the city, the show's originally planned March 2020 Chinese run, which would have taken place in both Wuhan and Beijing, was ultimately cancelled, with performances to be rescheduled. A return to South Africa was also postponed indefinitely. After more than a year with the production on hiatus, it was announced on March 15, 2021, that the show would return for a special season in New Zealand by June 2021, marking the first time ever the country received a production of it. It will be the first production to return performing - all others have been closed since March 2020. The announcement of this engagement was met with controversy due to New Zealand's response to the pandemics and the fact that most cast and crew members were either immigrants or not considered essential workers, while