Drew McOnie: As a gay man I was bullied, teased – The Times

Drew McOnie is ever the optimist. Lesser men would have wilted after the high-profile failure of King Kong, the show he directed and choreographed on Broadway. It closed in 2019 after a year of performances — way too early for such a big-budget extravaganza — and some of the worst reviews of the decade. Still, the title character did win a special Tony award for its puppet-master creators.

There are puppets in Merlin, McOnie’s new show, too. Although I imagine the British choreographer is relieved to discover that they are less overpowering than the 20ft, 2,000lb silverback gorilla he had to accommodate in King Kong. Merlin, which has its premiere at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham on September 25, has pressures