Tickets for Disney's "The Lion King" will go on sale to the public 7 a.m. Saturday.

The production will begin performances at the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma City April 21 for a limited engagement of five weeks through May 24. The opening night is 7:30 p.m. April 23.

This North American National Tour is one of seven productions running worldwide along with New York, London, Hamburg, Tokyo, Paris and Fukuoka.

Ticket buyers are invited to special ticket office opening festivities Saturday beginning at 7 a.m. at the Civic Center Music Hall box office. Phone, online and outlet sales begin at 10 a.m. The first 100 people will receive a free full-length Lion King CD. All other ticket buyers in line will receive a free Lion King ski hat.

KMGL, KOMA and KRXO will be on hand for music, fun, prizes and breakfast treats. In addition, celebrating the lion cubs' first birthday, the Oklahoma City Zoo will be there with special offers and fun giveaways.

Now in its second sold-out decade in New York, "The Lion King" is the winner of six Tony Awards including Best Musical, eight Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, the New York Drama Critics award for Best Musical, the Evening Standard Award for the Theatrical Event of the Year, two Olivier Awards, a Theatre World Award, the Astaire Award for Outstanding Choreography, two Drama League Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album.

Director Julie Taymor became the first woman in Broadway history to win the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical. Taymor, along with Michael Curry, created hundreds of masks and puppets for "The Lion King." Choreography is by Garth Fagan, scenic design is by Richard Hudson, costume design is by Julie Taymor and lighting design is by Donald Holder.

The book has been adapted by Roger Allers, who co-directed the animated film and Irene Mecchi, who co-wrote the screenplay for "The Lion King." The score features Elton John and Tim Rice's music from the animated film along with three new songs by John and Rice, additional musical material by South African Lebo M, Mark Mancina, Jay Rifkin, Julie Taymor and Hans Zimmer.

"The Lion King" will play in Oklahoma City April 21 through May 24 with performances 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday each week, with two exceptions. On May 21 there will be performances at 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and on May 24 there will be only a 1 p.m. performance.

Ticket prices range from $25 to $75. Premium Ticket Packages are available for $125 and include prime seating and souvenir merchandise.?

To charge tickets, call Celebrity Attractions at (800) 869-1451 or the Civic Center Music Hall at 297-2264, order online at www.CelebrityAttractions.com or visit select Homeland locations. Orders for groups of 20 or more may be placed by calling (800) 869-1451 ext. 220. For more information, visit the Celebrity Attractions Web site at www.CelebrityAttractions.com.