King Kong (NYC)
Closed 2h 25m
King Kong (NYC)
72

King Kong (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets

72%
(858 Ratings)
Positive
64%
Mixed
26%
Negative
10%
Members say
Great staging, Ambitious, Entertaining, Disappointing, Clever

About the Show

One of the world’s most epic modern myths comes to Broadway in this new musical that employs an innovative mix of robotics, puppet, and stagecraft to bring the legendary ape to life.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (858)

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54 Reviews | 11 Followers
100
Masterful, Entertaining, Clever

See it if The book is a bit weak. The singing is good..nothing memorable. However, all this fades as soon as Kong arrives. Amazing puppetry.

Don't see it if I really cant think why anyone would not enjoy this spectacular presentation of King Kong.

115 Reviews | 19 Followers
100
Great acting, Great singing, Romantic, Masterful, Must see

See it if Just a wonderful production.

Don't see it if If you are scare of apes.

69 Reviews | 19 Followers
100
Absorbing, Great acting, Great singing, Great staging, Refreshing

See it if You enjoyed the original story and love the use of puppetry in a full scale Broadway show.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy loud noises or have trouble with flashing lights. Read more

336 Reviews | 45 Followers
97
Delightful, Entertaining, Funny, Great singing, Must see

See it if you want to experience a thoroughly enjoyable evening on Broadway. The technology employed for this show is amazing. I will see it again.

Don't see it if you're not looking for a joyous evening.

61 Reviews | 2 Followers
96
Clever, Enchanting, Entertaining, Great acting, Great singing

See it if You love darker shows or the story of King Kong or are interested to experience King Kong on stage.

Don't see it if Dislike puppetry or the story of King Kong, or are sensitive to loud roaring sounds. Read more

176 Reviews | 15 Followers
95
Riveting, Enchanting, Entertaining, Exquisite, Great staging

See it if The special effects are fabulous. The scenes, dancing, costumes, lighting, blew me away. It's an amazing spectacle. Go see it !!!

Don't see it if Some of the songs were too mushy, story follows the film, do not go if you want a drama.

50 Reviews | 8 Followers
95
Riveting, Must see, Masterful, Great staging, Entertaining

See it if You want to be totally blown away by the most amazing puppet and special effects in Broadway history. Dazzling.

Don't see it if No reason on earth to not see it. Except, of course, the expense. Actually, I don’t care how much it costs you.

82 Reviews | 25 Followers
92
Clever, Great staging

See it if Good remake of the movie with a predictable plot & great setting and scenery. The life size Kong is something to see and how he works.

Don't see it if Songs are okay and take away from the action.

Critic Reviews (67)

The New York Times
November 8th, 2018

"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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Time Out New York
November 8th, 2018

"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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New York Magazine / Vulture
November 8th, 2018

"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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New Yorker
November 12th, 2018

“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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The Wall Street Journal
November 8th, 2018

"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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Deadline
November 8th, 2018

"Director Drew McOnie has captured a wildly impressive 1.2-ton puppet, even if the musical surrounding it is considerably less memorable...Kong’s facial expressions – every teeth-baring show of force, each wary look of confused affection, moans of pain – are enchanting, and at least as convincing as any bit of CGI or stop-motion committed to film...The musical numbers certainly won’t keep you from wanting to get to the Kong stuff, which mostly pays off."
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Variety
November 8th, 2018

"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 Hollywood Reporter
November 8th, 2018

"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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