Beast of Broadway! KING KONG Begins Rehearsals Today

Rehearsals begin today, Monday, July 30, for the new musical King Kong. The production begins performances Friday, October 5 prior to a Thursday, November 8 opening night at the Broadway Theatre (1681 Broadway).

The cast is led by Christiani Pitts, (A Bronx Tale) as Ann Darrow, Eric William Morris (Mamma Mia!) as Carl Denham, and Erik Lochtefeld (Misery, Metamorphoses) as Lumpy.

The King Kong ensemble includes Ashley Andrews (Broadway Debut), Mike Baerga (Miss Saigon), Rhaamell Burke-Missouri (Broadway Debut, Cinderella National Tour), Chloë Campbell (Tuck Everlasting), Leroy Church (Broadway Debut, The Lion King National Tour), Peter Chursin (On The Town, West Side Story), Jovan Dansberry (Broadway Debut), Kayla Davion (Waitress), Casey Garvin (Miss Saigon, Disaster!), Christopher Hampton Grant (Broadway Debut), Khadija Griffith (Broadway Debut, "The Wiz Live!,") Jon Hoche (Broadway Debut, War Horse National Tour), Gabriel Hyman (Broadway Debut), Curt James (Angels In America), James T. Lane (The Scottsboro Boys, A Chorus Line), Marty Lawson (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying; Promises, Promises), Jonathan Christopher MacMillan (War Horse), Danny Miller (Broadway Debut), Brittany Marcell Monachino (Broadway Debut), Jennifer Noble (Ghost The Musical), Kristen Faith Oei (M. Butterfly, The King and I), Eliza Ohman (Hamilton), Roberto Olvera (Broadway Debut), Jaquez André Sims (Motown The Musical), Jena VanElslander (Broadway Debut), Scott Austin Weber (M. Butterfly), Jacob Williams (Broadway Debut), Lauren Yalango-Grant (Broadway Debut), Warren Yang (Miss Saigon) and David Yijae (Broadway Debut). Additional casting will be announced soon.

Written by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) with a score by Marius de Vries (La La Land and Moulin Rouge) and songs by Eddie Perfect (Beetlejuice), King Kong is directed by Drew McOnie (Strictly Ballroom The Musical).

King Kong is produced by Carmen Pavlovic (Global Creatures) and Roy Furman.

King Kong comes alive through an innovative mix of robotics, puppetry and stagecraft.

Based on the 1932 novel, the stage production of King Kong is a contemporary take on the classic tale of beauty and the beast. The story follows a young actress, Ann Darrow, and a maverick filmmaker, Carl Denham, 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: a 20-foot high, 2,000-pound gorilla brought to life by a team of seamlessly integrated artists and technicians. King Kong is a larger-than-life encounter with a legend that's always been too big to contain.

Jack Thorne (book writer) received the 2018 Tony Award and 2017 Olivier Award for Best Play for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and wrote the critically acclaimed Let the Right One In.

Director and choreographer Drew McOnie is an Olivier Award winner for the London production of In the Heights and an Olivier Award nominee this year for Jesus Christ Superstar. McOnie directed the U.K. premiere of Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom The Musical, and the recent London productions of The Wild Party and On the Town.

Composer and music producer Marius de Vries (the films La La Land, Moulin Rouge, and Romeo + Juliet) is a four-time Grammy nominee. Eddie Perfect (songs) is a Helpmann Award winner and composer and lyricist of the Broadway-bound Beetlejuice and Shane Warne The Musical.

Pioneering creature designer Sonny Tilders developed Kong for the show, bringing together the worlds of animatronics and puppetry to a degree never seen on stage before. Tilders was honored with the Helpmann Award, Australia's highest theatrical honor, for Outstanding Theatrical Achievement.

King Kong's design team for Broadway also includes Peter England (Set and Projection Design), Roger Kirk (Costume Design), Peter Mumford (Lighting Design), Peter Hylenski (Sound Design), Gavin Robins (Aerial and King Kong Movement Director) and Tom Watson (Hair Design). David Caddick is Music Supervisor and Orchestrations are by Christopher Jahnke.