Myron Siegel nervously waits for the straight dope on Carl Dennam’s latest attraction, kept closely under wraps. Seems both their shows overlap, and Myron is afraid of poaching. Family members are on hand, and Myron’s henchman, Little Willie. Myron’s borrowed money (5 figures) from his mother-in-law Sally, and she reminds him constantly. Daisy his niece, is visiting from a very chaste and devout Midwest Catholic community.
Kong’s Night Out uses familiar tropes of stage comedy. Injects them with a shot of verve, ingenuity, and chipper dialogue. It develops the characters and their back stories. They’re familiar, without caricature or stereotype. We don’t see the punchlines headed down Fifth Avenue, and they don’t come with a rimshot. Scenes don’t resolve in the way we expect. Neither does King Kong. It develops the characters and their back stories. They’re familiar, without caricature or stereotype.
There’s Ann Farrow: dishy, intelligent, platinum blonde, kidnapped and rescued and kidnapped again. Sally the raspy, cantankerous mother-in-law, who hides her compassion, really well. Myron the sweet producer who can’t catch a break. Carl the gleeful, equal opportunity schmuck. Daisy the ingenue who may be slow to catch up, but she’s not dense. Her comedy technique is positively acrobatic. Bertrille is the coniving, unfaithful wife. Her butter’s spread on both sides. Sig Higginbottom, the frisky Hungarian financier with the embarassing toupee. Jack Driskel is Ann’s devoted fiance. His generous spirit ignores danger and jeopardy. Little Willie is Myron’s go-to muscle. Pragmatic and personable. By and large the women come off better than the men. (Maybe that’s not so rare in comedy) They’re savvy, convivial, and resourceful.
The best theatre is like the Hubble. The closer you look the more you see. The title set’s the tone. Kong’s Night Out. Dapper yet absurd. Is Kong Equity? Is he invited to the after-party? Does he conceal an air of sophistication? We might be inclined to compare Carl Dennam with Kong, he sports a sharp suit, but who’s the bigger beast? At least Kong has tenderness for Ann Farrow. Carl is contemptuous of everybody. He swats dragonflies. He steals your lunch bag. He doesn’t silence his cellphone. He’s an arrogant misanthrope. He comes after Myron because he’s at the disadvantage. Because he can.
Rachael Lindley has landed this this 50 lb. fish without a care. Has a director ever gotten so much use from a sofa? Or a balcony? Or a powder room? Darlin, how do you do it? Brian Hoffman (Myron) Sue Goodner (Sally) Kendra Young (Daisy) Nathan Beeman (Little Willy) Emily Fry (Bertrille Siegel) Lloyd Webb (Higginbottom) Elise Stuart (Ann Farrow) Christopher Dean (Carl Dennam) Adam Koch (Jack Driskel) tuck into that dizzy energy like monkeys on a sugar bender. Kristin Moore’s costumes from debonair suits to the glamorous gowns bring the posh to the play. Greg Smith’s set design would put the Grand Budapest Hotel to shame.
So what are you waiting for, already?
Richardson Theatre Centre presents Jack Neary’s Kong’s Night Out from June 5th-28th, 2026. 518 W Arapaho Rd, Ste 113, Richardson, TX, 75080. (972) 699 1130
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