KING KONG LIVE! A theater company called RadioTheatre is presenting a family-friendly stage version of King Kong this month at the Kraine Theater (85 E. 4th Street, just below KGB). I enjoyed the production and I expect that kids will like it too, as long as the little ones can tolerate mild terror and employ their imaginations in the absence of computerized visual effects.

As RadioTheatre’s name and pulpy promotional art suggest, the company draws inspiration from the radio dramas that thrilled listeners back in the days of yesteryear, when The Shadow and The Green Hornet patrolled the airwaves. I attended Wednesday’s King Kong premiere wondering how much modern-day snarkiness would be grafted onto the story; to my surprise, the company presented a very straightforward version that was faithful to the original movie adventure. That the RadioTheatre production is as compelling as it is (despite minor flaws) is a tribute to how gripping a yarn this piece of modern mythology remains.

Performances are Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. Tickets are available through SmartTix for $18; you might qualify for a $3 discount by using the Discount Code “denham.”

The original King Kong is now available on DVD. Info about all things Kong can be found at Kong is King.net. Planned RadioTheatre productions include Naked City, Meet John Doe, and The House on Haunted Hill.

Art design by D. Bianchi