Tickets are about to go on sale for The Lion King, which makes its only Yorkshire stop at Bradford’s Alhambra theatre next year.

Based on the Oscar-winning 1994 animated film about Simba the lion cub and his journey towards his destined role of King, the show is one of the world’s most popular stage musicals. The West End production is in its 14th year.

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, the musical has won Tony Awards, Olivier Awards and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

For Stephen Crocker, director of marketing and creative services at EMEA– Disney Theatrical Group, the appeal is simple. “People love the story,” he says.

“It’s the notion of the circle of life, it’s comforting. It’s an allegorical Prodigal Son story – stories around the world have this ingrained idea of redemption. The African element unites it all, but it’s timeless.

“There’s no better show for a child’s first theatrical experience but it entertains audiences of all ages, it’s a simple story but layered.”

The show looks spectacular, with performers using an array of masks and puppets to portray the principal characters and dozens of other animals, flora and fauna.

One of the world’s most innovative directors, Julie Taymor was given the task of adapting The Lion King for the stage and she made Broadway history by becoming the first woman to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical.

She brought several disciplines to the show, drawing on her experience of staging epic theatre and opera productions.

She and co-designer Michael Curry handsculpted and painted every prototype mask that appears in the show’s iconic Circle of Life opening scene. The show’s 232 puppets are largely inspired by Japanese Bunraku and Balinese puppetry.

“Julie Taymor’s vision takes something you know and love, and makes it into something else,” says Stephen. “The actors are taught puppetry, but it takes a very skilled actor to really bring their puppet to life. It’s a huge skill.

“The audience has this ‘double vision’ of an actor and puppet, but you engage your brain in a different way to follow the character.”

Each of the 700 costumes in the show is created with bewildering attention to detail. “The 12 lionesses wear handbeaded corsets and each one has a different pattern of beads,” says Stephen. “Each one says something about the status of the lioness – the dancers know that, even if the audience doesn’t.

While the show uses state-of-the-art digital technology, Stephen says the puppetry and other techniques are rooted in traditional theatre. “The stampede scene is a Victorian rolling device. This is a show that could have been staged 200 years ago.”

He admits to being sceptical when he first heard about plans to put The Lion King on the stage.

“How could you put an elephant and an ant on the same stage and make it work? But, thanks to Julie Taymor’s vision and expertise, it does work,” he says. “It didn’t seem like it would be possible to ever tour the show, it’s on such a huge scale. In America theatres are built for modern productions but in the UK a lot of theatres are old. But as technology has advanced, we have been able to take it on tour without compromising the scale.

“If you take anything away from the show you take away its integrity. An audience in Bradford deserves the best version we can offer.”

* Disney's The Lion King will run at the Alhambra from March 21 to May 10, 2014. Tickets go on general sale on Wednesday, June 12, at 8am at the theatre box office and at 10am on (01274) 432000 or thelionking.co.uk.