Monkey: Journey to the West

Monkey was ritual TV viewing when I was growing up. Every afternoon at 5.30pm, my siblings and I gathered at TV to watch the 'irrespressible!' Monkey along with Sandy, Pigsy and Tripitaka make their way across to India to retrieve some Buddhist scriptures. Whoever didn't watch this as child, I pity your deprived childhood. That theme song is just genius!

I learned many valuable lessons watching Monkey:

• Be weary of perverted men (Pigsy)
• When Japanese people speak English, their lips don't match the words
• Don't cover your child's mouth when they're crying. You might kill them (Traumatic episode, that one)
• Traveling via cloud is very efficient
  

One thing that confused me as a child was Tripitaka. I now know why they cast a female but when you're young all you think is 'how come he looks and sounds like a girl?'

I was DYING to watch Monkey: Journey to the West when I first heard about it at the Manchester International Festival last year. Too bad I don't live in Manchester on top of that, too bad I found out about it a month too late.

Another missed opportunity was when it ran for a week (!?! just one?!?) at the London Royal Opera house. I tried to book tickets but all that were left were cruddy ones. So when I saw posters in the Tube for another run, I initially thought I was looking at an old advertisement but then got super-excited when I saw the dates of the show!

A purpose built tent was constructed for the show at the 02 to allow for an extended run. The important thing to understand about the show is that is not a stage version of the hit TV series, but rather a Chinese opera. And... it was all in Mandarin too. I know that aspect of the show is going to be a difficult one to overcome for a lot of folk.

Outside the tent.

I'm gonna say all the cliches here - visually stunning, amazing acrobatics, all with the expected military execution we've come to expect from Chinese performers, a-la Olympics ceremony style. I don't think any of the stunts were faked, but I'm not too sure. It was especially good to see my extended family spinning plates on sticks. I'm allowed to make these kinds of jokes because I'm ethnically sound and any jibes are merely self-depreciating.

It is a show for everyone? Most definitely not. Anyone who goes expecting to relive their childhood, should read a bit more into it before buying tickets. But otherwise, I really enjoyed it!