King Kong is officially coming to Broadway!

Tom Millward
Tom Millward

It has now been officially confirmed that the long-awaited Broadway premiere of King Kong will begin performances at the Broadway Theatre in the fall of 2018.

Exact dates and casting will be announced at a later date, however, producers Global Creatures and Roy Furman have released details of key members of the creative team. King Kong is written by Olivier Award winner Jack Thorne, with a score composed by 4-time Grammy nominee Marius de Vries, with songs by Eddie Perfect.

The production will be directed and choreographed by Olivier Award winner Drew McOnie and will feature scenic design by Peter England, Sonny Tilders (Creature Design), costume design by Roger Kirk, lighting design by Peter Mumford, and sound design by Peter Hylenski. In addition, Sonny Tilders is credites as Creature Designer, with Gavin Robins as Aerial and King Kong Movement Director.

Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Global Creatures, released the following statement:

"I'm thrilled that King Kong will be coming to Broadway next season led by Drew McOnie and Jack Thorne, who will bring a new dimension to the telling of Kong's story. Drew's physical world will allow Kong to live in ways we never thought possible, propelled by Jack's text and the score and songs written by Marius de Vries and Eddie Perfect."

Producer Roy Furman added:

"King Kong is a quintessential New York story and I'm proud to be involved in this historic production. Our team is creating a theatrical experience that we hope will astound audiences, while delighting them with its heartfelt storytelling."

King Kong - based on the novel of the original 1933 screenplay - staged its world premiere on June 15, 2013 at the Regent Theatre, in Melbourne, Austrailia, following previews from May 28. It was originally scheduled to play a limited run through to July 28, 2013, however after three extensions, it finally closed on February 16, 2014.

The $30 million Melbourne production featured several new songs by Marius de Vries as well as new arrangements for such Broadway standards as "Get Happy," "I Wanna Be Loved By You" and "Brother Can You Spare a Dime." The Australian cast included Esther Hannaford (as Ann Darrow), Adam Lyon (as Carl Denham), Chris Ryan (as Jack Driscoll), Richard Piper (as Captain Engelhorn) and Queenie van de Zandt (as Cassandra).

King Kong is authorized by the estate of Merian C. Cooper (Creator of 'King Kong' and director of the 1933 film).

 

Originally published on

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