27 Monster Musicals (Pt 2): From King Kong and the rock band KISS to Beauty and the Beast and more

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Written By Chris Well

Many monster stories mix together elements from multiple genres…

Other pages in this series:

Continuing our series celebrating musicals that celebrate monsters, we’ve got more titles for the list—including musical representations from King Kong, the rock band KISS, and Scooby-Doo, plus Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast, the musical Ghost Brothers of Darkland County from Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, and a Batman musical episode with a GREAT ending.

Scroll for more info about these—and click to our other pages for our big list of monster musicals, including stage productions, movies, TV episodes, and cartoons!

Got any favorites you think we should add? Let us know in the comments below our first page…

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11 King Kong

A retelling of the 1933 film King Kong, the epic story has been retold as a stage production through an innovative mix of animatronics, puppetry, music and stagecraft. It’s 1931, the world is in the grip of the Great Depression, and New York City is a place of pressure, of desperation, but also of hope.

Enter Ann Darrow, a fearless young actress who meets Carl Denham, a fast-talking filmmaker who promises to make her the star of his next big adventure movie. Throwing caution to the winds, she joins Carl on a voyage to the mysterious Skull Island. There, they encounter a wonder more astonishing than they could have possibly imagined: a 20-foot-tall, 2,000-pound ape known only as Kong.

The original production was mounted in Australia in 2013. A re-worked Broadway production premiered in October 2018. Directed and choreographed by Olivier winner Drew McOnie, KING KONG features a score by Marius de Vries (La La Land) and Eddie Perfect (Beetlejuice The Musical), and a book by Jack Thorne, the Tony® and Olivier Award-winning writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

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12 The Mighty Kong (1998)

Another retelling of the classic King Kong story, this time in 1998’s The Mighty Kong animated musical film. With a voice cast that includes Jodi Benson and Dudley Moore (in his final role before his death in 2002), the film features original songs by the Sherman Brothers.

Watch the videos below for more information about the production.

The film was animated overseas in South Korea and Hong Kong.

Watch The Mighty Kong on or buy from Amazon.

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13 KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park (1978)

The 1978 TV film KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park—also known as Attack of the Phantoms in Europe, and KISS Phantoms in Italy—starred the members of hard rock band KISS. Produced by Hanna-Barbera, the film involved the members of the band using superpowers to battle a mad scientist and his army of robots.

14 Scooby-Doo and KISS: Rock and Roll Mystery

Although the members of KISS reportedly were so unhappy with KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park that no one was allowed to even mention the film around them, years later the band teamed up (well, in an animated film) with Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. Gang. The kids head to theme park KISS World to investigate a series of strange hauntings. Watch the video below for more information!

15 Little Shop of Horrors

A musical adaptation of Roger Corman’s 1960 film, The Little Shop of Horrors revolves around a flower shop staffer who comes across a monster plant that demands human blood.

The film was first adapted in 1982 for an off-Broadway horror comedy musical by songwriters Alan Menken and Howard Ashman—who were later responsible for Disney’s classic animated musicals The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. The musical came to the screen in 1986 in a film version of The Little Shop of Horrors directed by Frank Oz, which starred Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin, Vincent Gardenia, and Levi Stubbs. The film also featured special appearances from Bill Murray, Christopher Guest, John Candy, and Jim Belushi.

Buy The Little Shop of Horrors film musical from Amazon

Buy The Little Shop of Horrors cast albums from Amazon

16 Beauty and the Beast

Adapted from Walt Disney’s 1991 animated musical film—which retells the classic French fairy tale—the musical Beauty and the Beast tells of an unkind prince who was cursed and magically turned into a creature. To regain his humanity, the Beast must learn to love a young lady imprisoned in his enchanted castle before it’s too late.

Find Beauty and the Beast musical stuff at Amazon

The Beauty and the Beast musical sports music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. All eight songs from the animated film were reused in the musical, including a song that had been cut from the movie. Ashman had died during the making of the film, so original songwriter Menken wrote six new songs for the production with lyricist Rice. Woolverton, who wrote the movie’s screenplay, adapted her own work for the musical, expanding the storylines of the castle staff.

Premiering on Broadway in 1994, the musical was a smash success that ran on Broadway for thirteen years (1994 - 2007). Also playing in cities around the world, the show has become a popular choice for junior, amateur and high school productions.

17 Ghost Brothers of Darkland County

A musical written by Stephen King, John Mellencamp and T Bone Burnett, Ghost Brothers of Darkland County is a Southern Gothic tale of two brothers who hate each other and are forced by their father to spend time in a haunted cabin, where they are visited by the ghosts of dead brothers who also hated each other.

Ghost Brothers of Darkland County debuted in 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia. A touring production began late 2013 through the South and Midwest. A soundtrack was released featuring country, folk, and rock musicians.

Buy Ghost Brothers of Darkland County from Amazon

A haunting tale of fraternal love, lust, jealousy and revenge 13 years in the making, the Ghost Brothers of Darkland County album features guest artists Neko Case, Rosanne Cash, Elvis Costello, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Taj Mahal, and Ryan Bingham.

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18 Batman: Brave and the Bold, “Mayhem of the Music Meister!”

In the decades since Batman started in comics, he’s teamed up with lots of characters. So, it was no surprise when the animated TV show Batman: The Brave and the Bold picked up that idea for a few seasons (2008-2011) and Batman teamed up on screen with the likes of Aquaman, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and more.

The reason we bring it up now is because one of the most fun episodes of the series was “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” Guest Neil Patrick Harris voices the villain Music Meister, who can control people through the power of his singing. The 24th episode of the show’s first season, the episode was written by Michael Jelenic and directed by Ben Jones. The episode features a great performance from Harris and a lot of great songs. AND THAT ENDING IS AMAZING.

Here’s a video of the episode’s funny beginning…

Chris Well

Chris Well been a writer pretty much his entire life. (Well, since his childhood.) Over the years, he has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio, and books. He now is the chief of the website Monster Complex, celebrating monster stories in lit and pop culture. He also writes horror comedy fiction that embraces Universal Monsters, 1960s sitcoms, 1980s action movies, and the X-Files.

https://chriswell.substack.com/
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