"Endless Night" has been performed in different instances outside the show; Nick Afoa released a version in support of the United Kingdom charity Centrepoint, and Adam Jacobs sang it as part of a mashup with "Proud of Your Boy" at a Theatre Development Fund event.
[2][3] American theatre director Julie Taymor composed the lyrics,[1] and had developed "Endless Night" as Simba's signature song for the musical.
[4] "Endless Night" was first performed and recorded by American actor and singer Jason Raize, who first played the role of Simba for the Broadway show.
[16] To add to the power of the performance, the actor portraying Simba appears alone in front of a cyclorama emphasized by a "bold lighting change".
[12][22] The Houston Chronicle's Everett Evans felt the parts written by Lebo M were at odds with the more pop-oriented songs by Elton John and Tim Rice, saying "the disparity between the two halves leaves some seams showing in the overall score.
Praising its placement in the show, The Denver Post's John Moore said "Endless Night" was part of "a wildebeest stampede of ongoing powerful moments".
[7] Identifying "Endless Night" as one of the show's strongest moments, the Toronto Star's Richard Ouzounia praised the choice to only feature the actor on the stage.
[17] WLOS' Justin Hinton wrote that "Endless Night" and "He Lives in You (Reprise)" proved that the adult version of Simba had the best musical numbers.
[23] Wei-Huan Chen described the track as having "standalone power"; she explained it was an example of how a musical is successful "not through a scene that must be viewed through a narrative context, but rather a creation whose achievement is self-contained".
[34][35] The same year, Afoa sang "Endless Night" at the Lyceum Theatre as part of a Facebook Live event; the performance was uploaded to Disney on Broadway's account.
[36] Adam Jacobs cited "Endless Night" as the most enjoyable aspect of playing Simba in a North American tour version of the show.
[38] Josh Tower, who portrayed Simba the longest in the Broadway production, sang "Endless Night" for a 2014 event celebrating African-American history at Upper Dublin High School to a positive audience response.
[14][40] Alton Fitzgerald White, who played Mufasa in various American productions of The Lion King, recorded "Endless Night" for his studio album Disney My Way!.