KingKong

Hey cuties! Last night Paris and I went on a broadway date to see King Kong here in New York City! I wanted to share what I wore & what we thought of the show!

So here is what you need to know about me when it comes to broadway: first of all, I’m a total snob. I spend my money on clothes, food, rent and broadway – that’s it. I don’t go out and party, or buy a bunch of designer things or blow it all on makeup so when I spend money, I spend it on broadway tickets … great seats at the hottest show and alll the snacks. I don’t sit in the mezzanine 🙂 anywhere from 3 rows row 18 rows bit seats me just fine. It’s my choice and I’m not at all sorry about it! The second thing you need to know about me when it comes to broadway, is the only thing I love more than a great show is an awful one because it’s sometimes fun to watch a show that is so bad that it’s good … if that makes any sense. For the record, I feel the same way about TV. So I go see almost every show, good or bad because I’m curious and because usually I’m entertained either way. After the show Paris and I talk about our “notes” or things we would fix in the show, so sometimes the worse a show is, the better our conversation is! But there are some musicals that are just bad and boring, not even in an entertaining way – and I’ve even walked out of a few at intermission. OKAY so now that you’re up to speed on me, lets talk about King Kong on broadway.

This post containers spoiler alters and a full review of the show.
In terms of plot, I don’t give too much away that you probably don’t already know if you have ever read the 1932 novel seen any King Kong movie.

What is King Kong on Broadway? – so I’m sure you’re all familiar with the story of King Kong because it is a story that’s been told on the silver screen several times. King Kong on broadway is for all intensive purposes the same plot, they do make some additions and omissions of course with a few almost-modern twists but for the most part its the same story. Girl meets film director. Director takes girl to skull island. Kong befriends girl, director captures Kong. Kong is put on display. Kong escapes on the Empire State building, Kong is slain. It’s a simple plot and honestly you’re not really here for the storyline, you’re here for broadway’s biggest star … literally.

Why did I go see it? So aside from the fact that I go see almost everything on broadway aside from dated revivals or ones lacking original music (though they can sometimes surprise you like Waitress or Donna Summer – review here), I’ve been wanting to see King Kong since before it even got to broadway. Being the nerd that I am, I have been keeping tabs on this show for a little over a year now and the thing that really intrigued me was Kong himself.

THE KING On broadway, King Kong is a 2,000 pound animatronic attraction standing 20 feet tall and exhibiting a variety of emotions. The only words I can use to accurately capture my initial reaction to seeing him was shock and excitement with a flash of fear. For a moment you may even forget you’re in a theatre and feel you really are exhibiting a monstrous beast (if you let yourself), but soon after you look into his incredibly realistic eyes and instantly fall in love … well at least I did, I’m not sure if I could say the same for Paris. Kong reminded me of my french bulldog Waffles: unaware of his size and strength just wanting to be loved, so yeah I’m obsessed. Kong is brought to life by 10 on stage puppeteers 3 additional “voodoo operators” controlling the robotic facial features off stage. Although he doesn’t “act” he delivers the most compelling performance and not just because of his action abilities. He tells total stories with his eye brows, and can sing you a song with his pupils. You aboszultley notice the 10 plus people bringing him to life but they play into that fact showcasing a sense of whimsy to their impressive choreography and talent that I didn’t expect. I would say Kong was worth every cent they spent on him but I’m not sure how much that is (not for lack of trying). I do know they invested $35 million on the musical in total, and I hope all of that went to Kong because he is by far the best part of this show.

What I liked – Was King Kong the best musical I’ve seen on broadway this year? YES! but only because we’re six days in and it’s the only one I’ve seen this year. if I ranked in in the 20 or so I saw last year it would be to the bottom of the bunch because it just wasn’t a great musical, but it was an entertaining show. So before I pick apart what I didn’t like about it, lets kick things off on a positive note and share what I did!

Not your Damsel – Despite the general lack of plot, they did find a way to give our leading lady Anne a little more dimension than we’ve seen in previous renditions. She’s not a damsel in distress, she stands up for herself and other creatures who can’t – when Kong roars she doesn’t run, she roars back! More impressively we see that she’s not perfect, she’s actually quite greedy on her rise to fame. It’s not much but I like that they gave her this feminist make over sand showcased her as a fraud human being. Watching her go wrong and find her way to right again all while fighting for her own in a mans world was a refreshing take on the tale. I seem to be alone here in my feelings because most critics tore this change to shreds, usually citing the lack of historical support seeing as the story takes place in 1932 … but come on! You also wouldn’t have a black leading lady in a 1932 film, and who ever said theater had it be historically accurate … especially when the premise centers around bringing a giant ape to New York City. I think we can make our musicals what we need to see more of now, and more strong female leads are always welcome in my book.

Singing & Dance – I grew up as a competitive dancer putting in 20+ hours a week from age 10 to 18. I’m certainly not the best dancer, especially not now, but I do know good dancing (or lack there of) when I see it. I’m usually really picky when I see a show, I often find the dancers disconnected and failing to perform as a real ensemble … which actually means “as one”. All that considered, I was pleasantly surprised with choreography and the dancers themselves. They performed well as a unit which I rarely see on broadway, usually I feel like someone is trying to outshine their neighbor or dance down to the standard and that all pulls my focus. But everyone on stage had a higher technique level than I’m used to seeing, and the choreography showcased that while carrying the narrative in a unique way. I also thought Christiani Pitts (who plays the lead, Anne) was an amazing vocalist. I really couldn’t tell how talented she was until she started singing to Kong for the first time in the first act, and then after that it was apparent that she has a serious set of lungs on her.

Set Integration – We’re in this weird place in broadway where technology is starting to take over so we see more digital sets, and I have very strong feelings about this. In some cases it totally works, the musical Mean Girls for instance uses a ton of digital and changing backdrops set behind physical changing sets like beds, lockers snd bathrooms. This works because the show is a more modern story (the musical is even more updated than then 2003 movie to feel like it takes place in 2018) and because they do a little of both (physical and digital). But I’ve seen this totally flop in other shows, like in Anastasia where I couldn’t stand the over use of digital backdrops that felt out of place in this period piece. I’m happy to say that King Kong found the right balance of physical and digital for their sets and scenic integration. The do a good job of utilizing modern feeling technology in some scenes (usually to depict Kong, as if to say he’s ahead of his time) and allowing their digital backdrops to tell a compelling historical scene at others. Towards the beginning of the show when the cast boards the boat for skull island, they turn their back to us while the stage furthest from the audience rises up to create the illusion that we’re all riding on a boat together. That combined with a compelling ocean digital background and the carefully choreographed swaying of the cast had me feeling slightly see sick, which is totally a good thing here because it shows how well they told the story. Overall, I was really impressed by the set, production. lighting, scenic and visual developments they put into the show aside from the puppetry.

Irony – the only other things I really liked was the irony that in the story King Kong is brought to New York and put on s broadway theatre stage, and there we are watching King Kong on stage in a New York theatre! So fun right!

What I didn’t like – Just as there was a lot I liked, there was also alot I didn’t or didn’t have an opinion on, so now I’ll share those and why! The story had a general lack of plot and was very bland and predictable. The story of King Kong is kind of simple to start with, but here we got a much more watered down version. I also felt this way about the actors and their characters were underdeveloped and lackluster. There are only 3 main characters aside from Kong, of two of those three performances are quite forgettable. Although the music was good enough to do the job and the vocals were good, it wasn’t anything I left singing. I did find myself swaying a long a few times but had no burning desire to save the songs to my Spotify. The script also made some assumptions that you know about 1930’s theatre by making obscure references which turned me off. And finally, the ending was a little lack luster which can happen with musicals that end in death – but they figured it out in bombshell (from Smash) and in Hamilton so I expect a little more from the ending. After the final song Paris said, “is that the end?” and you never want that happening to close out your musical.

Let’s talk about Racism – I don’t think I could share this post without touching on racism. It’s no secret that there is a long, dark and hurtful history associated with the story of King Kong. If you’re not sure what I’m referring to, I thought this article did a good job of explaining the historical context while commenting on the current show and quoting Christiani Pitts, it’s worth a read. Now, knowing what we know about King Kong and what it used to be, I think there are a few ways to move forward with a remake. First, we can address the racism, confront it and attempt to rectify it. Another option is to stop telling this story that’s so hurtful for some to see reprised. King Kong on Broadway took a different route, they cast a black female lead. I feel like this is the safest way they could have approached the subject because most won’t continue to call this story racist because of this subtle change. It does help remove a lot of the racist problems associated with the fear of rap and the “purity of a white female” but it doesn’t eliminate them all, such as the dehumanizing companion of black men to apes. Additionally it creates new issues, such as insinuating a black female is selling out a black male for her own personal gain. To be honest, I didn’t get these feeling from the show and had to think about them after the fact to draw such conclusions. I thought the script did a good job of staying away from some of the painful racism we see in previous interrelations, and gives us representation with the addition of a black female lead – but even that doesn’t do enough to erode the racist foundation this story is built upon. I was able to see the show for what it was and I didn’t find it offensive, but if someone else did I would totally understand. I know that I have a certain level of privilege based on me being bi-racial and growing up in a predominately white area, so I would never disgrace someone else’s feelings of being hurt by such a show and could see where their pain is coming from.

OH and here is wha Paris thought:” The singing was good, the ape was amazing, it was fine and entertaining but no Lion King”. … thanks Paris.

What I Wore: so for our big broadway night our I wore a lilac sequin dress (last seen here) but I made it feel fresh and less NYE with a coral coat, lilac beret and matching booties. //

SHOP THE LOOK: Coat (mines old, found one here): Similar here & here
Dress on sale (size down, wearing size 2); look for less here $30 & here $38 ||
belt || bag || beret || gloves || Boots (just bought a second pair, LOVE THEM & the $65 tag)
PLUS SHOP: Similar Coat || Similar Dress ||Similar Dress || Fun sequin top

Final Review – Overall the show was less of a musical, and more of a action theatrical with some song elements – and I’m not mad about it. In a musical with only ok music, less is more and makes it manageable. If they came out with a million bland songs sprinkled through a sub-par story line they would have a real problem. To be honest it’s not a good musical, but that doesn’t mean it’s a not a good show. If you want a traditional night on broadway with jazz hands, tap numbers and big musical moments – King Kong is not the show for you! BUT if you want to be entertained and experience something a little bit different, give Kong a try! OH and if you’re impressed by puppets or giant monkeys go see it. I really think it is a broadway experience unlike any other, for better or worth and think its worth a watch and hope you give it a try.