TORONTO -- Toronto-raised theatre guru John Stefaniuk says "The Lion King" has given him a ticket around the world.

"It's been an exciting journey," said Stefaniuk, who will bring the smash show back to his hometown next week.

"I've been to every possible nook and cranny of this globe -- either auditioning it or having the show perform. I've met the Queen, I've performed for two presidents and I've been to places I never dreamt I would (go). I feel so blessed and so lucky. 'Lion King' has been able to be my guide in all of that."

Stefaniuk's job is to ensure that the various "Lion King" incarnations playing around the world meet the standards of the original Julie Taymor production, which is based on the Disney film and drew raves for its groundbreaking use of puppetry when it debuted on Broadway in 1997.

He sounds like a man who's racked up some hefty air miles as he ticks off the current "Lion King" locales -- South America, Spain, Germany, Japan and Australia among them.

And while it's been about a dozen years since Stefaniuk received what he calls "the keys to the kingdom," the associate director says he still gets a thrill out of the show.

"I never would want anyone who works on 'Lion King' to feel that it's their 'day job,' the job that you go and punch your time card ... that's not what people join the theatre for," he said. "You join the theatre because it's a passion that's in you."

Stefaniuk says he loves coming back to Toronto (the show last played here in 2011) with "a piece of theatre history."

"The show is such a piece of me," he exclaimed, adding that it's exciting to see his friends' children experience the show -- which tells the story of a young lion cub and features the music of Elton John and Tim Rice -- for the first time.

Each cast, he says, breathes new life into the narrative.

"Many shows, once they've done their opening year on Broadway you start to see the sands of time wear away at it. You think: 'Oh, well, you should have seen it when it first came out,' and I feel that our greatest pride about 'Lion King' is there's just as much excitement, there's just as much beauty and care put into the show today as there was on opening day."

Mirvish Productions presents "The Lion King" from April 30 to June 15 at Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre.