Rave reviews for King Kong
The historic original show opened at the Wits University Great Hall on February 2, 1959, as South Africa's first black musical set in Sophiatown in Johannesburg in the late-fifties.
OVER half a century since the world premiere of the original production of King Kong – The Musical, Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre bring this legendary and iconic musical ‘home’ to Johannesburg.
The run comes hot off the Cape Town season, which played to five-star reviews, rapturous responses and sold-out houses at the Fugard Theatre.
Eric Abraham produces and presents this Fugard Theatre production. The official opening took place on September 17 and the show runs until Sunday, October 8 on The Mandela stage at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein.
The historic original show opened at the Wits University Great Hall on February 2, 1959, as South Africa’s first black musical set in Sophiatown in Johannesburg in the late 1950s. Among the opening night multi-racial audience were Nelson Mandela and his wife Winnie. Of this momentous occasion, the Sunday Times raved ‘theatre in South Africa has taken an enormous leap’ while the Golden City Post wrote ‘tears of exultation as I feel that a new era in non-white entertainment has been born with the production of King Kong. I became breathless with the splendour of the production’.
The production went on to tour South Africa for two years. It was seen by 200,000 South Africans and played to record-breaking mixed race audiences – as apartheid was being implemented – before transferring in February 1961 to London’s West End for a 200-performance run. King Kong helped, in part, to launch the international careers of Miriam
King Kong – The Musical, tells the story of the 1950s heavyweight boxing champion Ezekiel Dlamini -whose self-appointed ring name was King Kong – to wildly exhilarating music.
Performances are Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8pm with a 3pm matinee performance on Saturdays and a 2pm matinee performance on Sundays.
Tickets range from R150 to R350.
Bookings for the Johannesburg season can be made at www.joburgtheatre.com or through Webtickets at www.webtickets.co.za. Alternatively, call the Joburg Theatre Box Office on 0861 670 670. There is a suggested age restriction, namely PG10.
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