Marsha Norman Departs KING KONG Musical Creative Team

The much-anticipated musical version of King Kong has lost a member of its creative team, according to the New York Times. Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winner Marsha Norman is no longer attached to the project.

She told NYT: "I'm no longer involved with 'King Kong' in a creative capacity, because 'King Kong' has moved toward the nonstandard musical arena. We exhausted the possibilities, I believe, of what I could do in writing a book where the main character doesn't speak or sing."

Producer Carmen Pavlovic continued: "What has become evident throughout the process of readings and workshops is that 'King Kong,' with its distinct physicality, doesn't fit the traditional book musical format. We are greatly indebted to everyone involved in this exploratory phase of the work, including the brilliant Marsha Norman, who helped bring us to that understanding earlier this year. As a result of this earlier development we feel confident about the new structure we've found for the show. The next steps will be announced soon."

An industry reading of the new musical took place in February 2016, starring Robert Creighton (Benny), Lora Lee Gayer (Ann Darrow), Marc Kudisch (Carl Denham) and Euan Morton (Jack Driscoll). It was directed by Tony Award-nominee Eric D. Shaeffer, this version featured a book and lyrics by Norman and a score by Marius de Vries and Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown.

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KING KONG, which ran in Australia is 2013, has long been rumored for a trip overseas to Broadway. As previously reported, following a successful run in Melbourne, the producers of King Kong were planning to bring the mega-musical to Broadway in December 2014. Due to the "huge scale of the production" and to allow the creative team necessary time to implement changes, the producers decided "to not rush in before the end of the year."

In a previous statement, King Kong producer Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Global Creatures, said: "KING KONG has been more than 5 years in the making and we are thrilled with the production that played to packed houses in Melbourne. We learnt so much from this first engagement. We realize that there are some exciting creative changes we can and want to make before King Kong comes home to New York City and we don't want to be pressured to rush in to meet any artificial deadlines. We want to make the best possible show. We will announce our plans when we can confirm our time-line to open on Broadway. It will be worth the wait!"

After its world premiere down under, King Kong picked up five 2013 Helpmann Awards (the Australian equivalent of the Tonys) for Best Costume Design - Roger Kirk (He is also a former Tony Winner 1996 for King and I, 2001 nominee for 42nd Street); Best Scenic Design - Peter England; Best Lighting Design - Peter Mumford; Best Sound Design - Peter Hylenski (He was nominated for a Tony last year); and Outstanding Theatrical Achievement - The Design, Creation & Operation of King Kong.

One of the world's great modern myths about an enormous creature and his battle for survival in New York City, King Kong has gone back to the source -- the novella of the original film by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace -- in this first adaptation as a large-scale musical. Featuring a large cast and crew of actors, singers, dancers, circus performers, and puppeteers, and arguably the most technologically advanced puppet in the world--a one-tonne, six-metre giant silverback -- King Kong is an epic and dazzling original theatrical experience.

Click below to watch thrilling footage from the Melbourne production!