Anyone remember how when they announced a 'Lion King' musical way back when, a lot of people were gagging in horror at the thought of it being done with singer/dancers running around in giant foam heads of the Disney characters a la mascots at sporting events? That's the sort of thing I'd be dreading if a particularly uninspired theatre group decided to do the show.

This might be a strange question, but how can they perform a musical if they do not have the rights? Isn't that some kind of legal problem? I can imagine how the playright would be upset if they weren't getting their profits from the material.

It is illegal for anyone to perform a show without licensing it from the show's licensing company. (Most shows are licensed through Musical Theatre International (MTI)). Shows that are currently on Broadway, like The Lion King and Wicked, are not available for licensing because they are on Broadway. Usually licensing for shows are available after their original Broadway run.

I know this post is old but I thought it worth answering.