When considering how to bring a version of the ubiquitous King Kong story to the stage, we focused on what relevance a retelling could bring to modern audiences. On one level, King Kong is a simple story about a beauty and a beast, but it is also about a fall from grace; a fear of the “other”; the irreversible ruination of an environment; the extinction of a precious natural wonder; the fall of an empire and humankind’s persistence in conquering and destroying.
After five years of development, King Kong – Live on Stage premiered in an exclusive season in Melbourne, Australia, with Kong himself being built in a West Melbourne workshop and much of the all-Australian company being sourced from Victoria’s arts training institutions, especially the Victorian College of the Arts. Victoria’s National Institute of Circus Arts also supplied aerialists to perform as “King’s Men” under Puppetry Director Peter Wilson and Aerial/Movement Director Gavin Robins. In total, the production employed 49 cast members and a crew of 76 for the entire run of the show.
“I am ferociously proud of our 100% made-in-Australia cast.” KING KONG Director Daniel Kramer, stage whispers.
Delos W. Lovelace’s novelisation was in the public domain, as was the character of King Kong, but Global Creatures reached out to the Merian C. Cooper Estate to receive their blessing for a retelling. The initial development process started in 2009, and the production opened at the Regent Theatre, Melbourne, on 15 June 2013.
An early decision was to not go down a hyper-real path with Kong, and instead allow for direct manipulation by 11 aerialist/puppeteers named ‘The King’s Men’, two puppeteers offstage operating animatronics via “voodoo” controls and one operating the automation.
Creature Designer, Sonny Tilders and Production Designer, Peter England, visited theatres around Australia and New York to assess scale and suitability to define the size and presence of King Kong — ultimately envisioning him at 20 feet tall.
“So it was a bit back to front, I suppose in terms of the normal journey of a musical, which would start with a book or the music, we really had to start with ‘is it physically possible to do this?” CARMEN PAVLOVIC, PRODUCER
The set, projection, costume, lighting and sound teams wrestled with the laws of physics and the conundrums of a restricted stage to create grand locations and artful soundscapes with an aesthetic that blended the 1930s with a more contemporary edge. The choreography included a mix of thirties classics, Fosse-esque moments, a hint of the New York Rockettes, and even a nod to Beyoncé.
The cumulation was a production that seamlessly blended animatronics, puppetry, music, dance and spectacular stagecraft.
WORLDWIDE
Credit Jeff Busby
Creatives
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CREDIT MATTHEW MURPHY
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| Director | Daniel Kramer |
| Book | Craig Lucas |
| Original Music Composer | Marius De Vries |
| Choreographer | John O’Connell |
| Production Designer | Peter England |
| Aerial And King’s Men Movement Director | Gavin Robins |
| Puppetry Director | Peter Wilson |
| Original Song Compositions | 3D From Massive Attack, Guy Garvey, Sarah Mclachlan, Justice, The Avalanches |
| Additional Lyrics | Michael Mitnick, Richard Thomas |
| Costume Designer | Roger Kirk |
| Creature Designer | Sonny Tilders |
| Projection and Interactive System Designer | Frieder Weiss |
| Lighting Designer | Peter Mumford |
| Sound Designer | Peter Hylenski |
| Musical Supervisor | Max Lambert |
| Musical Director | Daniel Edmonds |
| Music Consultant | Stephen Pavlovic, Modular |
| Additional Music Production | Eldad Guetta |
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CREDIT JAMES MORGAN
Show FactThe final Kong (following 2 prototypes and 4 scale models) took a year to build by 50 specialists across engineering, fabrication, electronics and digital departments. -
CREDIT JAMES MORGAN
Show FactIt took a team of 10 onstage performers, known as the King’s Men, to manually operate Kong’s massive limbs during the show. Behind the scenes, even more puppeteers worked in perfect coordination to control his facial expressions, breathing, and other lifelike movements. -
CREDIT JAMES MORGAN
Show FactThere are over 500 costumes in the show; 100 of which are seen in the opening number.
Awards & Nominations
| Winner – Best Costume Design | Roger Kirk |
| Winner – Best Scenic Design | Peter England |
| Winner – Best Lighting Design | Peter Mumford |
| Winner – Best Sound Design | Peter Hylenski |
| Winner – Outstanding Theatrical Achievement for the Design, Creation and Operation of Kong |
| Best Female Actor in a Musical | Esther Hannaford (Ann Darrow) |
| Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Chris Ryan |
| Best New Australian Work | Global Creatures |
| Best Original Score | Marius de Vries |
| Winner – Best Actress in a Leading Role | Esther Hannaford (Ann Darrow) |
| Winner – Best Ensemble | The King’s Men |
| Winner – Best Lighting Design | Peter Mumford |
| Winner – Best Sound Design | Peter Hylenski |
| Winner – Best Costume Design | Roger Kirk |
| Winner – Technical Achievement | Global Creatures |
Gallery
Social Responsibility
During King Kong’s 2013 Melbourne production we were priviledged to collaborate with non-profit and charitable organisations on a range of fundraising, accessbility and community initiatives beyond the stage:
- Partnering with the Jane Goodall Institute, supporting fundraising efforts and their “They’re Calling On You” mobile phone recycling campaign which has helps divert devices from landfill and instead recycle them to discourages illegal mining that threatens gorilla survival.
- Community engagement including visits to local hospitals and fundraising performances, including the Salvation Army Christmas appeal concert and Twisted Broadway Melbourne, an annual charity event raising money for Oz Showbiz Cares Equity Fights AIDS.
- Partnering with Mission Australia for a special fundraising performance, raising awareness and support for people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.
- Commitment to inclusivity through ASL-interpreted and audio-described performances.
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Credit Blueprint Studios
INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT
We were proud to support the development of Australia’s theatre and arts industry through the production of King Kong. Kong himself was brought to life in a West Melbourne workshop, while much of the all-Australian company was drawn from Victoria’s vibrant arts training institutions— particularly the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA).
The production also showcased the talents of aerialists from Victoria’s National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), who performed as the “King’s Men” under the direction of Puppetry Director Peter Wilson and Aerial/Circus Director Gavin Robins, who later went on to support the Broadway production.
“It is thrilling to see so many of our graduates, across a number of arts forms, working on King Kong. It demonstrates the quality of education and strength of training at the VCA is proving attractive to producers like Global Creatures and establishes Melbourne as the home of Music Theatre in Australia” Su Baker (Director of VCA, 2013), Stage Whispers
What it's Like Working on the Show
KEY DATES
2008 |
Development begins on King Kong, marking the start of an ambitious new theatrical journey for Global Creatures. |
2013 |
King Kong roars to life with its spectacular Opening Night at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre on 15 June. |
2014 |
The final curtain falls at the Regent Theatre on 16 February, concluding the Melbourne season. |
