Monkey: Journey to the West
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| Monkey: Journey to the West | |
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| Promotional artwork. Image by Jamie Hewlett | |
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| Music | Damon Albarn |
| Lyrics | Chen Shi-zheng |
| Based upon | Journey to the West |
| Productions | 2007 Manchester International Festival |
Monkey: Journey to the West is a forthcoming stage adaptation of the Chinese legend Journey to the West, by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, the co-creators of virtual band Gorillaz, and Chen Shi-zheng. It is due to receive its world premiere at the 2007 Manchester International Festival, on June 28, 2007 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester; it is the Festival's opening show.
The show is billed as a "circus opera", and is Hewlett and Albarn's first major collaboration since Gorillaz. Albarn is composing the musical score while Hewlett is designing the visual concept, set and costumes. The adaptation for stage has been written by Chen Shi-zheng. The show will feature 45 Chinese acrobats, Shaolin monks and Chinese vocalists, the UK Chinese Music Ensemble (led by Cheng Yu), and is a co-production between the Manchester International Festival, the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris and the Berlin State Opera.
As well as the production, the Manchester International Festival is also running a programme of educational workshops in local schools, in partnership with the Chinese Arts Centre. In the programme, local children will be introduced to the the tale of Journey to the West, and can learn about various aspects of Chinese culture, music and dance, including mask-making, puppet-making, Tai Chi and Kung Fu.
