King Kong Musical Takes on Broadway October 5

King Kong, the new Broadway mega musical based on the classic 1933 Hollywood film, begins previews October 5 at the Broadway Theatre, where it will officially open November 8. King Kong arrives in New York following a 2013 Melbourne world premiere.

The centerpiece of the production is also its titular star: a 20-foot-high, 2,000-pound silverback gorilla that towers over his co-stars, a menacing aggressor whose lifelike face is capable of expressing a breathtaking range of emotion.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE FIRST PHOTOS FROM THE BROADWAY PRODUCTION

The awe-inspiring creature is brought to life by fusing state-of-the-art animatronic and robotic technology with a massive marionette puppet that is controlled by a team of onstage puppeteers aerialists.

Lead producer Carmen Pavlovic enlisted an all-new creative team to ready King Kong for New York audiences. The Broadway creative team boasts Tony- and Olivier Award-winning book writer Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Let the Right One In), Olivier Award-winning director-choreographer Drew McOnie (Strictly Ballroom), and Australian songwriter Eddie Perfect, who is also adapting Beetlejuice for Broadway. Perfect joins the show’s original composer and arranger Marius de Vries (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet).

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.

King Kong follows young actor Ann Darrow (Pitts) and filmmaker Carl Denham (Morris) as they voyage from 1930s New York to an uncharted island to capture a great, mysterious wonder.

Read: HOW KING KONG’S WRITERS HAVE REIMAGINED ANN DARROW FOR A NEW AUDIENCE

The King Kong ensemble includes Ashley Andrews, Mike Baerga, Rhaamell Burke-Missouri, Chloë Campbell, Leroy Church, Peter Chursin, Jōvan Dansberry, Kayla Davion, Rory Donovan, Casey Garvin, Christopher Hampton Grant, Jon Hoche, Gabriel Hyman, Harley Jay, James T. Lane, Marty Lawson, Jonathan Christopher MacMillan, Danny Miller, Brittany Marcell Monachino, Jennifer Noble, Kristen Faith Oei, Eliza Ohman, Roberto Olvera, Jaquez André Sims, Khadija Tariyan, Jena VanElslander, Scott Austin Weber, Jacob Williams, Lauren Yalango-Grant, Warren Yang, and David Yijae.

The production team also includes set and projection designer Peter England, costume designer Roger Kirk, lighting designer Peter Mumford, sound designer Peter Hylenski, aerial and movement director Gavin Robins, and hair designer Tom Watson. David Caddick is music supervisor with casting by Tara Rubin Casting. Johanna McKeon is associate director, and the associate choreographer is Ellenore Scott.

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