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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — "The Lion King" came home Wednesday, showered by celebrities, music and dance.

The musical, which kept the Old Pueblo enthralled for several weeks last year, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and the South African run has been called a homecoming for the show whose score, choreography and story all have roots in the country.

"There would be no 'Lion King' without South Africa. This is where the umbilical cord was first cut," said Oprah Winfrey, whose guests at the opening included all 149 pupils from the girls academy she opened near Johannesburg earlier this year.

Winfrey was greeted by an actor dressed in a Zulu warrior costume who danced for her as singing and drumming stirred anticipation.

"There are going to be a lot of girls coming out tonight wanting to be in theater," she said. "So much for forensic science."

The day before the opening, the mainly South African cast and crew were feeling the pressure to keep up standards set by previous productions of "The Lion King." The show has won 70 awards worldwide — including six Tonys — since opening on Broadway a decade ago under Julie Taymor's direction.

Audiences "expect this production to be the best 'Lion King' ever because it's in South Africa now," said Simon Gwala, who plays Banzai, one of a trio of villainous hyenas in the story of Simba, a lion cub, that is adapted from the Disney animated film.

Lebo M, the Grammy-winning composer and arranger who added the South African sound to the original Broadway production, co-produced the South African run. He hopes the production will create new opportunities for South Africans in theater here and around the world.