Disney’s The Lion King is coming to Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre for a seven-week run, the Telegraph & Argus can exclusively reveal today.

The award-winning show – the biggest musical production ever to tour the country – features a cast of more than 50 actors, singers and dancers from around the world and 700 elaborate costumes, masks and puppets.

Bradford is the only Yorkshire stop on the tour of ten cities across the UK and Ireland. The show will come to the Alhambra from March, 2014, the theatre’s centenary year.

Based on the Oscar-winning 1994 animated film, The Lion King has been adapted for the stage by director and co-designer Julie Taymor who uses various theatrical disciplines, including Japanese puppetry, to tell the story of Simba the lion cub, as he journeys through life and struggles to accept the responsibilities of his destined role of King.

The show, one of the world’s most popular stage musicals, opened in New York in 1997 and became the highest grossing show in Broadway history. It has been seen by more than 65 million people worldwide, and the West End production is now in its 14th year.

Fiona Thomas, vice president of live entertainment for The Walt Disney Company EMEA, said: ‘We are excited to be bringing Julie Taymor’s legendary production of The Lion King to the Bradford Alhambra. Delighted by how much audiences enjoy The Lion King in London, we look forward to sharing this record-breaking show with audiences in the north.”

Bradford Theatres general manager Adam Renton added: “I’m so happy we have been able to secure the most requested musical for Bradford, which is the biggest show in the centenary year of the Alhambra.”

Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions, The Lion King has been translated into seven languages, including Japanese, Korean and Portuguese. The show won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Costume Design, and other prizes including Olivier Awards for Best Choreography and Best Costume Design and a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album.

The score features Elton John and Tim Rice’s music from the film of The Lion King and three new songs by the pair, with additional music including material from Rhythm of the Pride Lands, an album inspired by the film’s original score.

The show fuses Western popular music and the distinctive sounds and rhythms of Africa, ranging from the Oscar-winning song Can You Feel the Love Tonight to haunting ballad Shadowland.