King Kong to Open in Shanghai in 2021
(© Joan Marcus)
Carmen Pavlovic of Global Creatures, Roy Furman, and Harmonia Holdings have announced that King Kong will open in Shanghai in 2021.
"There is already great anticipation and attention coming from Chinese audiences for this ground-breaking production, one that merges technology and art into an innovative world-class theatrical event," Sophie Qi, Harmonia's founder and CEO, said in a statement. "I am thrilled to be evolving the Kong experience for the modern Asian marketplace, and I know that this will be an exciting catalyst for the many international productions to come."
King Kong is still running on Broadway at the Broadway Theatre, where it opened on November 8, 2018. The musical is written by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) with a score by Marius de Vries (La La Land), songs by Eddie Perfect (Beetlejuice), and direction and choreography by Drew McOnie.
The stage production of King Kong is a contemporary take on the classic tale of beauty and the beast. The story follows a young actor, Ann Darrow (Christiani Pitts), and a maverick filmmaker, Carl Denham (Eric William Morris), as they voyage from the bustling streets of 1930s New York to an uncharted island to capture the world's greatest wonder. At the center of this 21st-century reimagining is a 20-foot-tall, 2,000-pound gorilla brought to life by a team of artists and technicians, blending robotics, puppetry, and stagecraft.
The production additionally features Erik Lochtefeld as Lumpy, with an ensemble that includes Ashley Andrews, Mike Baerga, Rhaamell Burke-Missouri, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Chloë Campbell, Leroy Church, Peter Chursin, Jōvan Dansberry, Kayla Davion, Rory Donovan, James Retter Duncan, Casey Garvin, Christopher Hampton Grant, Jon Hoche, Gabriel Hyman, Harley Jay, Marty Lawson, Jonathan Christopher MacMillan, Danny Miller, Brittany Marcell Monachino, Jennifer Noble, Kristen Faith Oei, Eliza Ohman, Roberto Olvera, Jaquez André Sims, Khadija Tariyan, Jena VanElslander, Leigh-Ann Vizer, Scott Weber, Jacob Williams, Lauren Yalango-Grant, Warren Yang, and David Yijae.
