King Kong set to tour the world

The world premiere production of Global Creatures’ upcoming musical King Kong will debut at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre in June 2013 featuring a cast of 40 actors, singers, dancers and puppeteers.

Set in New York in the 1930s, the musical will feature both an original score (Marius de Vries) as well as arrangements of popular music from the 30s.

It is understood that while Kong’s only home will be at the custom renovated Regent Theatre in Australia, the production is set to embark on an international tour once the Melbourne season is complete, and a Broadway season is part of the grand plan.

No time frame has been announced for the Australian season at this stage, but speculations within the industry about season length have ranged from 6 months to over 12 months.

It is understood that the main reason behind Global Creature’s decision to keep Kong contained to Melbourne only is the puppets’ sheer size.

“King Kong will be made in Melbourne, and exclusive to Melbourne due to its scale. We look forward to welcoming visitors from right around Australia and the region to Melbourne to experience the magic of King Kong before it transfers to the rest of the world”, Victoria’s Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher said at a press conference.

Standing over 7 meters tall, Kong is the “largest manifestation of male energy on earth”, according to director of the production, Daniel Kramer, and will be operated by numerous puppeteers.

An exhaustive audition process began to find cast and puppeteers in October last year, and AussieTheatre understands some auditions were still taking place in early 2012. No cast have been officially announced at this point.