King Kong (NYC) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (858)
See it if The staging was amazing! King Kong was creative!
Don't see it if .....
See it if you think you’ve seen it all on Broadway. The puppetry and puppet in this show elevate the spectacle of Broadway. And Pitts is a STAR.
Don't see it if your preference is small, intimate productions. This ain’t that. Read more
See it if you love KING KONG there is no way to explain it Definitely a must see! I saw it 2xs in 1 DAY! Put together so amazing and he puppeteers!
Don't see it if There is no reason not to see it. I can't even go on enough about this. ITS SPECTACULAR!
See it if you want to see the best ape ever to hit Broadway.
Don't see it if you rely on jaded New York critics.
See it if You really just need to see this for the Masterful Puppetry of King Kong. The Story is bad, but singing is decent. Kong is just amazing.
Don't see it if expecting to be blown away by an amazing cast recording or story. I recommend seeing this for what it is, an amazing production of King Kong Read more
See it if you like great singing, magnificent dancing and King Kong
Don't see it if you think that a big monkey puppet is boring Read more
See it if You want to be wowed by the sets and puppetry. When Kong came out the first time, it was awe inspiring. It is a technological marvel.
Don't see it if You want a traditional musical with songs to remember and a storyline you will think about in the future.
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
Critic Reviews (67)
“Don't expect the music, nor the book nor the lyrics for that matter, of the ineptly pieced-together musical that just limped onto Broadway...to summon up anything resembling an honest emotion...Symbolic of little more than the foolhardiness of putting stage spectacle above good writing...Though loaded with flat, stilted dialogue, the biggest mistake of Thorne's book is to take away the tragic aspects of the film's two main characters, sapping them of empathy.”
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"When Kong dominates the stage, or when he shares a scene with Christiani Pitts as Ann Darrow, the show's heroine, theatre magic is made. The ape's first appearance is a moment of pure excitement...The entire design/technology side of the production is a major achievement...About the rest of 'King Kong,' however, I have a few questions...You can't say 'King Kong' is a good musical, but it is a fascinating oddity."
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"The great ape is magnificent...Indeed, all of the design elements, from the inventive use of projections, the curvature of the set, the sound, the lighting, even the scrims, contribute to the overall effect. If this is what you are looking for, then by all means pick up a ticket and head on out...One big question is, why turn this perfectly good story into a musical, especially when the songs and the dancing do precious little to elucidate the goings-on?"
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"This gigantuous puppet is impressively designed and altogether versatile...But this is a Broadway musical, and the stuffed gorilla—which, once it finally appears late in the first act, has far more stage time than most of the Equity members—does not sing or talk. Or dance, even...We apologize if we’ve slighted the contributions of songwriters Marius de Vries and Eddie Perfect, and bookwriter Jack Thorne. But then, their collective contributions slight the show to the vanishing point."
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"Perfect’s songs are mostly forgettable; at best they function as vehicles for the whirlwind production numbers...Thorne’s record of intelligent, nuanced, morally complex work suggests that his contributions may have been, like Kong, diminished by the forces of commerce...If technical wizardry is what you’re after—and you can withstand watching a magnificent beast endure repeated, extravagant physical and emotional abuse—'King Kong' may be just the ticket."
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"Remove the big, strangely beautiful beast from the show, and the musical would collapse from its own weightlessness. The human characters would be swallowed up by the (admittedly spectacular) scenery...One of the show’s highlights — really, the only one other than the titular creature — is the work of set and projections designer Peter England...But it’s only when King Kong makes his entrance that 'King Kong' inspires anything other than mild tedium."
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"De Vries' ponderous score is a mish-mash of styles but it does have its moments, Perfect's songs are tuneful but hardly memorable; neither do they do much to further the story...The effort to extend Kong's long symbolic parallels to racism, slavery and colonialism to our current society's endorsement of racism and greed feels forced and clunky, whereas the presentation of the giant marionette puppet is amazingly original and genuinely entertaining."
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"True, 'King Kong,' aside from its technical achievements-more of that below-probably won't wind up in theater history books as a major artistic advance, but it still has a lot to offer. It's no 'Dear Evan Hansen' or 'The Band's Visit' -two recent American musicals of high quality- and doesn't claim to be, but it's as entertaining as 'Head Over Heels' (if less tawdry) and 'The Prom' (if very much less show-bizzy self-referential)."
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