A Leeds theatre producer is claiming a world first after simultaneously opening two new shows 5,000 miles apart on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
The shows, one in Monte Carlo and the other in Reno in USA, both opened to sell-out crowds.
With a nine-hour time difference David King, 56, opened Jersey Nights at 2pm in Reno to coincide with Bohemian Rhapsody at 11pm in Monte Carlo.
Mr King, from Alwoodley, said: “This is a world first.It was a massive challenge to open two new shows at exactly the same time but everyone’s hard work has paid off.”
Mr King’s new show Bohemian Rhapsody, a celebration of rock legends Queen and Freddie Mercury, is the headline attraction at the Monte Carlo summer festival at Monte Carlo Casino.
His second new show, Jersey Nights, is a Broadway-style production of the hits of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at the Eldorado Hotel Casino in Reno.
King said: “I’ve had shows running simultaneously around the world before but it has never been done before to open two brand new shows at the same time.
“And we had sell-out crowds and standing ovations at each performance.”
King’s previous hit shows include Spirit of the Dance which has sold 30 million tickets in 15 years and Michael Jackson tribute Man in the Mirror.
Recently Mr King hit the news headlines after he was the victim of a car-jacking while filming undercover in Hunslet as a benefactor on Channel 4’s Secret Millionaire TV show.
Viewers of the episode, in May, saw the producer reeling in shock after the ordeal.
During filming, he worked with Yvonne Crowther on the Cardinal estate, to whom who he donated £17,000, and the Dazl Diamonds Dance group in Middleton, which received £10,000.
King also worked with fundraiser Harry Clements, 70, at St James’s Hospital.
King gave him a £25,000 cheque to add to the £100,000 Harry had raised over the past 21 years.
Tragically, Harry – who was made an MBE in 2007 – died days after the tearful scenes were shown on TV.
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