Through work I was invited to see a preview of King Kong hosted by Virgin Australia.
I hadn't seen anything about the show except the posters and I had already decided I wasn't that interested, I had seen the movie (the most recent one) and didn't care for it much. But I was being offered a lunch before hand at The Sofitel and a ticket to the show, so why wouldn't I go if I wasn't paying? And who could pass up a couple of wines with work colleagues?!
Well I was so glad I went, I was blown away, this isn't your usual run of the mill musical it is so much more. Part of me now wants to be a set designer, what they created was truly awesome.
I wouldn't label it as a musical either but a show which caters for everyone, love it or hate it you will still walk away amazed.
Prior to lunch we were treated to an introduction from the producer of King Kong, Carmen Pavlovic, she explained the journey of how the show was created. It was amazing to hear from her. Through Carmen's brother she was able to get Massive Attack, The Avalanches and Justice on board to help with the songs, so from there I realised if these big music names were involved then this was going to be good.
The effects, the dancers, the singers and Kong are amazing. The lead Esther Hannaford who plays Ann Darrow has an awesome voice and not the typical stage show voice, she was mesmerising. But the star of the show was Kong himself. A giant animatronic marionette, he had 10 men controlling him onstage bringing him to life and three behind the scene controlling his expressions.
I was impressed by the design and creativity of the people that put this show together. It is definietly a work of moving art! Highly recommended even if you aren't a fan of 'musicals'.
