King Kong (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (850)
See it if You want to see this 20 ft marionette that weighs over 2000 pounds.
Don't see it if You want to see great acting, book or songs. Star actors are average at best.
See it if You enjoy spectacle over theatre. Jaw dropping staging used to faithfully tell story we all remember from the old movies. Great lighting.
Don't see it if You expect depth or any music that will move you or stay with you after you leave the theatre. This is about Kong. He does not disappoint. Read more
See it if you love special effects (lights, sound, projections). Kong is magnificent, but not enuf to save the productn. Still, can see $35m price tag
Don't see it if you want a strg plot, appealing chars, memorable melodies, clever lyrics, charismatic actors, funny lines, etc..you won't find them here.
See it if you appreciate all the technology: staging, lights, video projections, sound, puppetry all all excellent in sharing the story we know.
Don't see it if you want a hummable musical: sounds tell story but are clunky, acting is okay, choreography is good but they fall short in matching tech.
See it if for the spectacle - fabulous opening scene, amazing use of photographic backgrounds, talented dancers & the extraordinary puppet.
Don't see it if you are expecting the original film plot. This version is simplified.
See it if you liked the original movie and did not like the remakes. Exceptional stagecraft and use of lighting.The ultimate in puppets, outstanding!
Don't see it if you like sophisticated drama or lush musicals. You don't come to this show for the music. Read more
See it if u want a visual & aural treat in the retelling of the (timeworn) tale of tragic antihero Kong, his greedy captors & the beauty to his beast.
Don't see it if you expect an epic score or book to match the epic tale and truly epic (& breathtaking, captivating, exciting) puppetry & stage design. Read more
See it if You want a big spectacle of a Broadway experience, but have seen Phantom, Wicked, Lion King, & the other touristy shows.
Don't see it if You dislike the Kong story, or don't think it needs to be musicalized -- this show doesn't necessarily prove that it should be.
Critic Reviews (67)
"Green: A car wreck of clichés like that simply can’t put a feminist story across meaningfully. Or any story, really — and that’s a bigger problem than the bad score and sluggish 20-foot marionette...Brantley: The story — and the music and the dancing — are basically just filler until Kong shows up again...Brantley: I kept hoping a higher camp factor might kick in...Green: The camp here is all accidental...'Margaritaville,' which until now was my musical theater low point of 2018."
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"The titular creation is truly impressive: a 20-foot, 2,000-pound animatronic marvel that would be the pride of any amusement-park thrill ride...Yet this very special effect is trapped in a show that is mostly pretty awful. It pads its spectacular attraction in a skeletal, hackneyed story...The truly frustrating thing about 'Kong' is the waste of it all. Why did this story, whose central figure necessarily cannot sing, need to be a musical at all, much less one that suggests a 'Simpsons' parody?"
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"King Kong–the–creature is a truly marvelous feat—of design, of engineering, of choreography, of performers and operators and stage managers functioning at bomb-diffusion levels of precision—and 'King Kong'-–the–show is, beyond its spectacle, generic. It’s an amped-up blockbuster with largely forgettable songs, many of the belt-and-inspire variety...What it’s really about is a 2,000-pound puppet and our own desire, as hungry audiences, to see something totally freakin’ awesome."
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“Kong is the show’s true star. He’s huge, muscular, and bottomlessly dark—all black and gray. His hands and feet are operated, in minutest detail, by a small, dancerly army, and his face moves via uncannily precise—and, I’ll admit, touching...There aren’t any instantly classic songs in the show, which makes it unlikely to be a long-lasting item of interest, but it’s fun simply because of Kong’s presence. The audience laughed and gasped...We whooped when he stood to his full height."
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"Even if the star puppet might be better suited for an arena spectacle or theme-park attraction, you can't take your eyes off this technological marvel, not least for its incredible facial expressiveness...This is a rare time I can honestly say that while 'King Kong' the musical is a wretched mess, I would recommend 'King Kong' the stage spectacle...This is a show in which the songs never feel grounded in story or character, let alone period."
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"A group of puppeteers, clad in black, are on stage throughout the show, making him move in real time as the story unfolds. Watching them work is fascinating, and the result is an inanimate object that feels alive — his facial expressions, his movements, the chest beating, that roar...If only the musical lived up to its star. Under direction by Drew McOnie, none of the characters or songs are as compelling as the creature."
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"One thrill ride of a show...The show disappoints in its mishmash of musical styles...You could say Kong has one of the best 11 o’clock numbers around when he approaches the apron of the stage to break through...There’s also more than a few cliches, and a set-up that’s a stretch...But Thorne also makes some smart choices...It’s not just the mammoth Kong that helps carry the show but also Pitts, who plays the marathon role of Ann with infinite resilience and resolve."
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"The title character is played by a giant puppet designed by Sonny Tilders and manipulated by a team of 10 stalwart operators. Between them, they give us a creature so expressive that he seems to have wandered into the theater from another, vastly better musical...The score and songs, jointly concocted by Marius de Vries and Eddie Perfect, are loud and vapid. Jack Thorne’s book is stupefyingly banal."
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