King Kong launch...

[alterego]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 7:28am

The launch today in Melbourne...

http://kingkongliveonstage.com

Updated On: 10/7/12 at 07:28 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:02am

... except nothing's launching from your link.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:09am

Change the comma to a period.

I think that this could be disastrous.

[alterego]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:29am

Sorry, fixed.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:34am

Hmmmmm, i like their passion and the director's passion especially, the new songs they performed were a bit meh, Rise started well and got repetitive real fast. I was losing interest but then they showed the workshop clip and some of the (unfinished) visuals look kinda brilliant, i just hope they don't just rely on them.

Best of luck to them though

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:35am

If this does well, can "The Towering Inferno: The Musical" and "Jaws: The Musical" be far behind?

I listened to a bit of that not-live, live streaming. (You can jump forward and skim through it.)

The songs don't suck, but they're not great either. I like the Rock & Roll edge some of the voices have. It's all going to come down to the giant ape. If he's worth the price of a ticket to see, it will do well. There's always been a big theatrical aspect to the story and how it's presented (on film).

We've had a chandelier drop, a helicopter land on stage, etc. It's '80s musical extravaganzas revisited.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:36am

Bring on the Jaws the Musical

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:38am

Indiana Carmen Jones and the Temple of Broadway!

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:59am

It's a pity it's at the barn like Regent, unless you are in the first ten rows, that theatre sucks!

But the prices are at least in line with everything else, looking forward to seeing this

[Orangesaretuesdays]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 10:57am

I thought the Rocky preview was better than this... The animatronic Kong looks cool though, the songs they chose were not so hot.

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 12:46pm

I bet people are going "apesh t" over this. from RC in Austin, Texas

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 12:56pm

The Kong puppet was impressive, but I didn't really care for the songs. Unlike besty, I didn't like the "rock & roll edge" of the voices. The music should sound more 1930s.

[SNAFU]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 1:07pm

The puppet does look impressive! Liking they are using a marrionette technique, That always ads a little more movement to the beast.

[best12bars]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 1:15pm

"The music should sound more 1930s."

Why?

Should Evita sound like 1940s and early '50s? Should Les Miz sound like the early 1800s?

I don't think "Cole Porter Meets The Planet of the Apes" would stand a chance.

Updated On: 10/7/12 at 01:15 PM

[bdn223]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 1:28pm

StageManager2
I completely agree with you!!! King Kong is no Spring Awakening, where the songs are meant to break the fourth wall to depict how current the shows themes are, despite being set in the 1800s.

The original film is about letting the past stay in the past, similar to Jurassic Park, only King Kong has always been associated with the rise Golden Age of Film. The score should be influenced the big band and jazz era with tribal music thrown in during Skull Island/The climax. I could see them using the Gershwin's scores as inspirations since they were of the era, but a ROCK SCORE? seriously??!?! The film is a love letter to New York and the period itself, so how does that cause anyone to believe they could have a Rock Score?

Second the actors could take a cue from Newsies with their accents...its set NEW YORK and the cast should sound as such. Not that I am saying that the entire cast should have thick accents, but the cast of should not sound British/Australian either.

Updated On: 10/7/12 at 01:28 PM

[bdn223]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 1:45pm

@Best12Bars
But also realize Evita has a Latin influence in its score. For Les Miserables despite the popish/techno elements of its score, its still very much rooted with the era filled with anthemic ballads that one would think should go hand in hand with a revolution.

Rock and Roll and the Great Depression are polar opposites. Rock and Roll grew out of the generation that was born after the Great Depression. It is literally a rebellion against the generation of the Great Depression. So using it to portray the Great Depression would be blasphemy.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 2:17pm

They should've just based it on the 1976 Jessica Lange/Jeff Bridges/Twin Towers version where the rock sound would not seem anachronistic.

[Playbilly]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 5:14pm

There's already a "Towering Inferno: The Musical". And it's good. (a comedy, btw)

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 7:06pm

How about King swings from a chandelier & a helicopter comes in to rescue the damsel in distress? In NY, the critics will have a field day with it.

They will not go ape over it I can tell you that.

[winston89]

Posted: 10/7/12 at 8:23pm

Finally, Aussie's answer to Spider-Man Turn Off The Dark.

[alterego]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 9:06am

winston89 I think you may be right there.

[mattyp4]

Posted: 10/8/12 at 2:39pm

I was TOTALLY thinking Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark while I was watching the King Kong launch. (Well, while I skimmed it.)

Besides the sheer ambition (a theatrical spectacle on a grand scale), a lot of the score totally reminded me of Spider-Man.

I think 1930's periods scenes set to the music of Justice & The Avalanches COULD be cool... but I can also see it being an artistic mess (like Spider-Man... or at least Taymor's version of it). But I guess that's what's to be expected from the musical director of Moulin Rogue.

And that director was quite passionate. It reminded me of Julie Taymor's fervent description of her Spider-Man vision in the early days!

Does anyone know the Australian equivalent of Michael Riedel??

The puppet does look pretty cool, admittedly. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about seeing that. But the original songs were kind of yawn-inducing. And totally indulgent.