King Kong
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Cititour.com Review
“Disaster is not the opposite of opportunity,” sings the unscrupulous director Carl Denham during Act I of “King Kong,” and I heartily agree– because this disastrously muddled musical adaptation of the classic 1933 film, now at the Broadway Theatre, provides me with plenty of opportunity to unleash hundreds of words of critical vitriol and as many “monkey/ape” puns that I can think of. But like Denham, who eventually captures the titular creature on primitive Skull Island in order to exhibit him in New York, I will try to show some restraint(s).
To give credit to whatever credit is due, a great deal of money has obviously been put into this spectacle-driven production, from the often-impressive projections (by Peter England) to the creation of the life-size Kong puppet, for whom much of the crowd actually does go ape. But the more time Kong spends on the stage (and it’s ultimately too much), the less scary he feels. Instead, one comes to realize the show’s creators are trying way too hard to terrify you through something that belongs in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, or better yet a theme park in Orlando –- and helped even less in its mission by the fact that its human handlers are so obviously visible.
But the lack of chills and thrills aside, the biggest issue here is the clumsy book by Jack Thorne (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”), which has shockingly little depth, no matter how hard it tries to make some au courant points about female empowerment by reimagining our heroine, Ann Darrow, as a spunky African-American farmgirl so desperate to make it in the big city she’ll do anything to succeed – until she bonds with Kong and chooses her conscience over ambition.
The sensational, strong-voiced Christiani Pitts gives the role 120 percent, an especially remarkable feat since most of the time her scene partners are the aforementioned puppet and an even less animated Eric William Morris, whose Denham comes off as a second-rate P.T. Barnum and whose performance feels like little more than an audition for the Broadway version of “The Greatest Showman,” (No offense, Mr. Morris, but I have met Hugh Jackman, and you are no Hugh Jackman!)
Meanwhile, the score – credited to both Eddie Perfect (who will get a chance at redemption later this season with “Beetlejuice”) and Grammy Award winner Marius de Vries – is a forgettable mish-mash of R&B ballads, electronic music, and Broadway-styled numbers, almost none of which sound remotely like they belong in 1931 (the show’s setting), and only a couple of which really belong on the Great White Way.
As for the show’s director-choreographer, Olivier Award-winner Drew McOnie. he proves to be quite adept at the latter description and less suited for the former. The show’s movement, especially in unexpected places, and dance sequences are among its strongest suits. But as a director, his lack of experience shows, and his attempts in certain sections of the show to maintain what little momentum it’s achieved are utterly defeated by the need for the curtain to come down to effect necessary scene changes.
I’m not saying “King Kong” would have been a good idea in anyone’s hands. Nonetheless, like the men on Denham’s ship, theatergoers who have shelled out hard-earned dollars for this misguided monkey business may rightly consider staging a mutiny.
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
http://kingkongbroadway.com
Cast
Christiani Pitts, Eric William Morris, Erik Lochtefeld
Open/Close Dates
Opening 11/8/2018
Closing 8/18/2019
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 10/5/2018
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Broadway Theatre
1681 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
Map
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