The beast known as King Kong made his return to NYC, this time on a Broadway stage. After a decade and a whopping $35 million, Director Drew McOnie’s dream was able to become a reality and fans are loving it!
This is the first Broadway production run by Australian company, “Global Creatures” and they have completely exceeded all expectations for viewers and critics. You would never know it was their first show and that they had been working on three other shows at the same time.
Audiences met the monstrous ape in previews on Oct. 5 as the cast prepares for their opening on Nov. 8. The show was given a strong foundation with a score written by Marius de Vries and Eddie Perfect—the musical geniuses who gave us “La La Land” “Beetlejuice The Musical.” The choreography was by McOnie with help from Jack Thorne, the award-winning writer of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”
Unlike most shows, the lead role is played by someone who cannot sing or dance. Instead, he is 20 feet tall and about 2,000 pounds. The cross between an animatronic and puppet requires 14 cast members to move him as well as 16 microprocessors that allow him to operate.
An obscene amount of detail was put into the life-like creature, allowing him to flex and bend easily. Most significant to his character are the sadness in his eyes that change with movement of his facial expressions. According to “The New York Times,” “Kong is arguably the most significant advance in Broadway puppetry since ‘The Lion King.’”
However, Kong is not the only star of the show: Christiani Pitts steals attendees hearts as Ann Darrow, our not so typical damsel in distress. Pitts is the first African American woman to play the role of the struggling New York actress in the 1930s. The Georgia girl, who made her Broadway debut on “A Bronx Tale,” is determined to make her role as Darrow the new normal to empower young girls to chance their dreams.
The cast warns fans that this one is truly a heartbreaker. “It’s past the adventure story. It’s a story of love between people that can’t have a conventional sense of friendship—and a love story without romanticism,” said Pitts in an interview with Broadway.com.
I could not see a more suiting theater for this production than Broadway Theatre, a mere mile north of the Empire State Building. Tickets begin at $50 and everyone should take the opportunity to see one of the most beautiful love stories America has to offer. This type of show is a once in a lifetime experience.