Its director, Daniel Kramer, said that it took "three years of auditions and workshops" before performances began, also adding: "It's tempting to focus on the spectacle of King Kong himself.

[citation needed] The musical, according to the 2013 press notes, "has gone back to the source – the novella of the original film by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace".

[4] Engineered, designed and built by Global Creature Technology in West Melbourne, Australia, the title role was the largest puppet ever created for the stage.

[5] The 2013 press notes stated that Kong was "a highly sophisticated animatronic/marionette hybrid that will be controlled by the integration of hydraulics, automation and the manual manipulation from a team of puppeteer/aerialists.

[2] Gerry Ryan of Global Creatures told Australian Radio Station 3AW in January the same year: "I was in New York recently and went to the theatre, and so, they're getting ready – Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark's closed there at the Foxwoods and we'll be opening on December 12 [2014]".

Directed by Eric Schaeffer, the cast included Robert Creighton (Benny), Lora Lee Gayer (Ann Darrow), Marc Kudisch (Carl Denham) and Euan Morton (Jack Driscol).

Kong protects her when she is almost attacked by a giant snake and they form a special bond ("Full Moon Lullaby").

The couple are about to enter the theatre when Ann asks for a moment alone before joining him as she is caught between starting a new life with Jack and her affection and sympathy for Kong ("A Simple Prayer").

After taking refuge in a diner to escape the cold New York streets, Ann meets a man named Carl Denham.

Due to Denham's quick thinking, Ann is saved from being kicked out of the diner, and he reveals he is a director wanting a leading lady for a new movie, the details of which are kept secret, aside from the fact that the filming location is accessible only by boat.

He tells an extremely wary Ann that the ship is loaded with gas bombs he built, which will only be used in case of an emergency.

As Englehorn and his crew return to work, Ann defends her actions, saying that Denham is her ticket to getting off the streets just as the ship arrives.

As everyone disembarks to explore, Denham tries to take a few shots of Ann playing with some vines until a giant ape named Kong captures her.

Denham tries to film the beast but Kong swipes at him, smashing the camera in the process, grabs Ann, and carries her away ("Skull Island").

Kong protects her when she is almost attacked by a giant snake ("The Cobra Fight"), and as Ann patches his wounds, the two bond ("Full Moon Lullaby").

("Entr'acte: The Voyager Returns") Back in New York, Denham advertises for his show in which he intends to present a now captive Kong to audiences ("It's Man").

She explains that she can't put on a show like this due to her friendship with Kong, but Denham threatens her with being deemed as insane and jobless.

At first, Kong doesn't respond to her, but after she notices that he's effectively dying, aggressively commenting on that fact, the two rekindle their friendship.

She shouts for Kong to fight back and is quickly grabbed and dragged offstage, where she lets out a true scream.

Denham unsuccessfully tries to keep the audience and remaining actors onstage calm ("Dance My Way to the Light" (Reprise)) while Kong roars from behind the curtain.

The two finally find each other, and Kong, with Ann climbing on his back, takes off running as the army shoots him ("NYC Chase").

There's a plot based on assuming the audience know King Kong's film story, but it's filled with illogical leaps, clunky dialogue and the melodrama of unearned emotion.

It's not boring, but it doesn't move the story, show character or add much more than a beat for the spectacle that it's supporting", claiming that "the most successful number is Ann's lullaby to Kong on Skull Island".

[21] Australian Stage reviewed the show similarly, writing: "The storyline does suffer from a lack of character development and an over-use of musical numbers that are sometimes more razzle-dazzle than relevant to the actual story".

With little to do and dressed in a costume that seemed more relevant to Wicked, one was left bewildered by her presence, although Queenie van de Zandt produced another strong performance in the role".

[22] In a 3 1/2 star review, The Sydney Morning Herald believed the show to "[impress] on many levels", adding, "if it falls short, it's because our expectations are so sky high.

[23] The Broadway production opened to overwhelmingly negative reviews, with harsh critique for Jack Thorne's "stupefyingly banal" book, Eddie Perfect's "forgettable lyrics", and the actors' "shrill, one-note performances".