KING KONG - Previews

[robskynyc]

Lot666 said: "Allen S Bishop said: "Take a dramamine if you get motion sickness."

Why? Is there a problem with the video screens?"

Agree with Allen, I wish there was a warning about this. Its the scenes where the ship is sailing to skull island. Theres a cutout on the stage floor shaped like the front hull of a ship that raises up. it looks like the stage is bobbing up and down on waves, which is a cool effect. But holy crap it went on for the better part of 15 minutes and I was getting dizzy, and a few people were commenting on that too.

Saw it last night. Rush ticket $39, mid mezz row M seat 107.

the show is VERY slow paced. the puppet is amazing. duh. but others are right, it takes FOREVER to move. the pupeteers are not as distracting as i thought they would be like in avenue Q. the stage is bare bones, but some of the effects are mindblowing. especially the scenes with (SPOILERS-kinda) Kong running down the streets, and climbing up the empire state building.

the songs feel super disjointed. from an ALW type dramatic ballad to a 90's techno song that could have come out of blade runner. It was weird. And none of it was really memorable except for i think it was called "Last of Our Kind" with is supposed to be the big 11o clock number. Also, the "fake" carl denham is HOT as F***. and so charming and funny is his few scenes. The real carl denham however, was terrible. and could barely stay in key. and lumpy/lynn was whatever. his backstory about his daughter feels really forced.

An alright show, but technically stunning. TBH, I enjoyed head over heels more.

[MyLife]

Amen to the Fake Carl comment. He's so great (and, yes, very hot).

[Lot666]

MyLife said: "Amen to the Fake Carl comment. He's so great (and, yes, very hot)."

Who is the actor?

[Miles2Go2]

robskynyc said: "Lot666 said: "Allen S Bishop said: "Take a dramamine if you get motion sickness."

Why? Is there a problem with the video screens?"

Agree with Allen, I wish there was a warning about this. Its the scenes where the ship is sailing to skull island. Theres a cutout on the stage floor shaped like the front hull of a ship that raises up.it looks like the stage is bobbing up and down on waves, which is a cool effect. But holy crap it went on for the better part of 15 minutes and I was getting dizzy, and a few people were commenting on that too.

Saw it last night. Rush ticket $39, mid mezz row M seat 107.

the show is VERY slow paced. the puppet is amazing. duh. but others are right, it takes FOREVER to move. the pupeteers are not as distracting as i thought they would be like in avenue Q. the stage is bare bones, but some of the effects are mindblowing. especially the scenes with (SPOILERS-kinda) Kong running down the streets, and climbing up the empire state building.

the songs feel super disjointed. from an ALW type dramatic ballad to a 90's techno song that could have come out of blade runner. It was weird. And none of it was really memorable except for i think it was called "Last of Our Kind" with is supposed to be the big 11o clock number. Also, the "fake" carl denham is HOT as F***. and so charming and funny is his few scenes. The real carl denham however, was terrible. and could barely stay in key. and lumpy/lynn was whatever. his backstory about his daughter feels really forced.

An alright show, but technically stunning. TBH, I enjoyed head over heels more."

Head Over Herls has a new pull quote: “TBH, I enjoyed head over heels more (than King Kong)."

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Lot666 said: "MyLife said: "Amen to the Fake Carl comment. He's so great (and, yes, very hot)."

Who is the actor?"

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+plays+fake+carl+in+%22King+Kong%22+musical

 

[Deena Jones]

Casey Garvin

[Lot666]

Deena Jones said: "Casey Garvin"

Nice!

[juice23]

I am kind of stunned with what I just sat through. And couldn’t believe the people around me going crazy for every little thing.

This belongs at a theme park. Everything was just so forced.

[vampire musical]

This show should have been a straight 70 minutes with just Anne and the Kong puppet. No numbers, no book, no lyrics. Just them with some underscoring while they meet in Skull Island, sail to New York, run through the streets, climb the Empire State, and then hold hands gazing longingly into the sunrise.

Seriously though the puppet was stunning and the effects with his movements were amazing. Everything else was a trainwreck.

[jeffrey2]

I saw it Thursday with a friend who doesn’t go to the theater much and she thought it was the best thing she ever saw, because the puppet was all she cared about. I go to the theater often and was amazed by what they did on that stage technically, but I felt the second act was weaker and thought it ended on a thud instead of a high , that last song just ended, everyone was kind of ... is it over? They should have Kong come downstage for the curtain call. That would leave everyone on a high . The actress put everything she had into that performance , I enjoyed her acting , her voice was good but struggled at times. They could definitely cut some songs to tighten it up. All in all I enjoyed myself think and happy I saw it. 

[BroadwayConcierge]

Not sure I have much to contribute that hasn’t been said already, but:

The puppet? Beyond stunning. I will forever remember certain moments with that puppet because they represent the thrilling frontiers and boundaries that live theatre can push. During one moment when Kong comes forward to the foot of the stage, you can literally feel the entire audience collectively lean in with bated breath. A++ on Kong.

The rest of the show? Disastrous. Every scene and every “song” (with quotes because I’m hard-pressed to call this a real musical) without Kong is a boring snoozefest. The two male characters are so profoundly boring that I wish they just cut them entirely and wrote a different story. The choreography is overdone to the point of hilarity where I audibly laughed a certain points that somebody genuinely thought, “Yeah, that’s how the ensemble should look in this scene.” Half of the problem falls on bad directing; the other half falls on a book and score that, if I didn’t know going into it, has evidently been overworked to death to the point where it’s just not good. As for the ending, they must not have finished writing that song yet, and that’s just where they left off, right? Bizarrely abrupt. 

I feel bad that a gorgeous work of stagecraft like Kong is being brought to Broadway with such dreck surrounding it.

[nycward]

I was there tonight (Saturday) as well. Of course KK is a genius creation and I felt that the set design and underscoring were really quite appropriate and exciting but as everyone has said the book and score were by turns adequate to atrocious. After three passes of creatives they settled for this mediocrity? I was most angry about the final moments.

 

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they totally forgo the heartbreaking potential of the final moments of life with Kong. They chose to end the show with a power ballad with Ann Darrow and the dancing chorus on the top of the Empire State Building and totally ignore Kong until his thrilling curtain call. It felt as if the creators had to choose between a touching soft moment with the famous final line from the film or a star entrance for the Puppet during the bows. A terrible and unsatisfying ending which with the amazing stagecraft of this company of handlers should have left us with misty eyes. Also Denham is left during the final scene as a total dick when he could have offered some catharsis reciting the final lines of the film.

Artistically I was quite disappointed with their choice. Get a cheap ticket and enjoy some of the stagecraft and lament what really could have been a surprisingly moving evening with that extraordinary puppet and his handlers. I'm reminded of what War Horse brought to the stage.

[yankeefan7]

Reading these posts It seems the puppet is incredible  and the rest of the show is not very good. I  think I will pass on this one - lol.

[ArtMan]

I feel the same.  If the puppet is the only redeeming factor, then you have to worry about your view and if (like it did last week) the puppet has a malfunction.  Not worth it to me, if everything else is crap.

[kclahar]

yankeefan7 said: "Reading these posts It seems the puppet is incredible and the rest of the show is not very good. Ithink I will pass on this one - lol."

If you can get rush tickets, definitely go once.  You have to experience seeing the genius of that King Kong puppet.  It is stunning!

[bwayphreak234]

ArtMan said: "I feel the same. If the puppet is the only redeeming factor, then you have to worry about your view and if (like it did last week) the puppet has a malfunction. Not worth it to me, if everything else is crap."

Agreed. While the puppet is impressive, I do not think it is as brilliant as most people on here think. And it definitely is not impressive enough to make up for the rest show which is garbage. 

[dougs9797]

I don't understand the vitriol in some of these posts.

[GeorgeandDot]

It's crazy to me that crap like this is ever actually able to make it to Broadway. That people actually put time, energy, and money into this. What producer would ever bring this to Broadway after it was so brutally savaged overseas? What's wrong with producers this year? This, Getting the Band Back Together, and Head Over Heels, have no business being on a Broadway stage. They never should've come to Broadway.

[Impossible2]

I guess some people on this board have no idea what a tax write off is...

[tjones2]

[tjones2]

It’s quite shocking to read the negative reviews about King Kong on this board.  I took a different approach and immersed myself in the beauty of this production.

Kong is much beyond a “puppet”.  It is an extremely complicated design which requires 14 performers and sophisticated electronic equipment to create a moving sculpture with sad eyes.

The opening number is wonderful. The cast moves well and fits the time period in all ways.  It’s not supposed to be a glamours set.  This is the early 1930’s people.  Life is not easy.

I agree the time on the boat takes too long to get to skull island and the “prop” on the right side needs to go.  But that’s what previews are all about. To work out the kinks and fine tune.

I’ve seen Kong twice now and when I wake up hearing in the back of my head the actress singing to Kong after he gets hurt then it is clear the music captured that scene perfectly.  Same for the opening tune and a couple of others.  Just please lower the music so we can hear the singing better!

Yes, it could use a better close. For example, would have liked to see Kong dying on the street after falling from ESB. Then the stage goes black and opens to Kong where the actress comes running to him.  Singing  the melody from the mud scene.  With some emotional eye contact clearly visible to the audience.  Eyelids closing and Kong dies.  That’s the opportunity to make the bond this show needs to solidify the feelings in ones heart.

When it comes down to it, the majority will determine Kongs fate. Based on the standing ovation and talk overheard when leaving, most people enjoyed this show.  Word of mouth will spread positive news.  And, that’s all that matters.

[little_sally]

  So, tjones2, what is it you do for the production?

[tjones2]

Just cause I like the show you think I am automatically involved with it. Which I am not. Limited range of thinking on your part.  

[Kad]

No, it's because parts of your post look like they were generated by a press person.

[Mister Matt]

This, Getting the Band Back Together, and Head Over Heels, have no business being on a Broadway stage. They never should've come to Broadway.

If someone wants to put up the money, then literally any production can be on Broadway, regardless whether it had a bad tryout or no tryout at all.  There have been crap shows and flops since the dawn of Broadway history.  In the end, it's the audiences that decide what shows have business being on a Broadway stage by their ticket purchases.  How we personally feel about shows has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not they deserve to be on Broadway.