The technology at the heart of this new musical is truly impressive; it’s a shame the same can’t be said about its book or songs.
King Kong – the latest iteration of the 1933 film starring Fay Wray and the stop-motion animation of Willis O’Brien – has been heavily marketed around its truly remarkable star, the 1.1 tonne, six-metre tall puppet designed by Sonny Tilders and impressively realised by the team at Global Creatures.
Brought to life by 10 puppeteers under puppetry director Peter Wilson, and an additional team of operators working the animatronics which are responsible for the beast’s facial expressions, Kong is a truly remarkable creation: a gargantuan stage presence whose first, carefully teased appearance was met with gasps, and his full reveal with cheers on opening night.
It’s unfortunate then that the show he stars in lacks the craft and focus which has clearly gone into creating Kong himself.
Dramatically, King Kong is inert; the first act feels choppy and unevenly paced, while the second act feels thin. Both acts end anti-climactically. The book by Craig Lucas lacks depth, as do the characters – particularly Richard Piper’s cartoon sea captain, and especially the role of Cassandra (played by the talented Queenie van de Zandt), a prophet of doom created for this production whose presence is entirely extraneous.
Performances are generally strong, especially Chris Ryan as the hero, first mate Jack Driscoll, though Adam Lyon as the semi-villainous impresario Carl Denham lacks vocal presence. As Ann Darrow, snatched off the streets of Depression-era New York by Denham and whisked away to mysterious Skull Island, Esther Hannaford is charming, and her big ballad ‘Full Moon Lullaby’ brings some much-needed emotion to the show, but her character has not been developed, and a song exploring Ann’s growing confidence (‘Special FX’) comes across as more a sexist display of the female form rather than an ironic referencing of 1930s burlesque.
Creative choreography and lighting fail to conceal the story’s lack of complexity, and the overuse of a vast LED screen and the distinctly contemporary lighting design seem at odds with the 1930s aesthetic established by the majority of costumes and Art Deco proscenium arch constructed around the Regent Theatre’s stage.
Musically, the production’s songs neither advance the plot nor add depth to the characters; nor is there a memorable showtune that you’ll be humming on the way home, save for a reworked version of Arlen and Koehler’s 1930 number, ‘Get Happy’, which only serves to highlight the weakness of the production’s contemporary numbers.
Much has been made of the production’s musical pedigree, but unfortunately the combined efforts of composer/arranger Marius de Vries (Romeo + Juliet), lyricists Michael Mitnick and Richard Thomas, and songwriters 3D (Massive Attack), Guy Garvey (Elbow), Sarah McLachlan, Justice and The Avalanches result in a disparate and incoherent patchwork of styles that’s more dog’s breakfast than cohesive and compelling score.
Visually striking and a technical triumph, King Kong lacks depth and heart. It’s memorable as a spectacle, but not as theatre.
Rating: 2 stars out of 5
King Kong
Directed by Daniel Kramer
Book: Craig Lucas
Composer/Arranger: Marius de Vries
Choreography: John O’Connell
Production Designer: Peter England
Creature Designer: Sonny Tilders
Costume Designer: Roger Kirk
Projection Designer: Frieder Weiss
Lighting Designer: Peter Mumford
Sound Designer: Peter Hylenski
Aerial/Acrobatic Director: Gavin Robins
Puppetry Director: Peter Wilson
Cast includes Esther Hannaford, Adam Lyon, Richard Piper, Chris Ryan and Queenie van de Zandt
Regent Theatre, Melbourne
15 June – 17 August 2013
