King Kong, the Broadway musical adaptation of Merian C. Cooper’s adventure novel and the sprawling film franchise it inspired, celebrated its 100th performance on February 6. The Australian mega-musical, known for the unprecedented puppetry which brings its titular character to life, began performances October 5 ahead of a November 8 opening.
Directed and choreographed by Olivier winner Drew McOnie, King Kong follows young actor Ann Darrow (Christiani Pitts) and filmmaker Carl Denham (Eric William Morris) as they voyage from 1930s New York to an uncharted island to capture a great, mysterious wonder.
The production fuses state-of-the-art animatronic and robotic technology with a massive, 20-foot marionette puppet controlled by an onstage team of puppeteers to bring Kong to life. The show features a book by Tony and Olivier winner Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and a score by Eddie Perfect (the songwriter behind the score for the upcoming Broadway adaptation of Beetlejuice) and Marius de Vries (Moulin Rouge, Romeo+Juliet).
Flip through photos from the celebration below:
