Category — Entertainment

Previously posted “Monkey : Journey to the West” launched last year at Manchester. From the 24th to the 26th July, this show will come to the Royal Opera House in London.

‘Monkey: Journey to the West is simply enchanting, imbued with a charm, vitality and splendour that outdoes anything you’ll see or hear in the West End, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.’  Daily Telegraph

Monkey: Journey to the West is a new opera for the 21st century directed by the world renowned Chen Shi-Zheng with music composed by Gorillaz award-winning mastermind Damon Albarn and design and animation by Jamie Hewlett based on the ancient Chinese legend of spiritual enlightenment.

This reworked version is a dazzling spectacle involving nearly 40 circus acrobats, martial artists and singers from China with an orchestra of Western and traditional Chinese instruments.

Monkey, headstrong, self-important hero of the story, is hatched from a stone egg on the Mountain of Flower and Fruit. After crossing the all-powerful Buddha, Monkey is given the opportunity to redeem himself by travelling to India with the young monk Tripitaka to bring the Holy Scriptures back to China.

Damon Albarn’s score deftly weaves Chinese and Western influences to provide a sparkling setting for the story as it moves between heaven and earth. Adaptor and director Chen Shi-Zheng, musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett have created this spectacular opera which is coming to the Royal Opera House this July.

Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles, Monkey is a thrilling experience, an unforgettable sensual and spiritual journey.

Seats available for: Thu 24 & Sat 26 July 2:30pm Fri 25 July 4pm

Tickets: £10 | £20 | £30 | £35 | £40 | £50 | £60 | £75

Click here to view the trailer and to book tickets

Box Office: 020 7304 4000

Technorati Tags: Chen Shi-Zheng, circus opera, Damon Albarn, entertainment, Jamie Hewlett, London, MONKEY KING, Monkey: Journey To the West, Royal Opera House, theatre, United Kingdom

Mainichi posted some shots of Blue Moon Studio’s CG idol Fei Fei, and others. There’s a definite appeal to these creations which can be conceived as the perfect characters for movies and games. Or maybe its because I’m male..

See more on Mainichi

Technorati Tags: CG characters, entertainment, Fei Fei, Japan, Japan Idols

A musical production about Bruce Lee is in the works and will be entitled “Bruce lee: Journey to the West“.

The elements of a quality Broadway musical can be difficult to master. It takes finesse, agility and poise. However, the elements of a Bruce Lee performance could prove even more difficult.

Notwithstanding, for the 2010-11 season, this martial arts master will see reincarnation in the form of a Broadway production.
David Henry Hwang will write the book. Hwang is known for M. Butterfly and Yellow Face.

Bartlett Sher will direct, who currently helming the revival of South Pacific at the Lincoln Center, which has garnered him 11 Tony nominations. David Yazbek, of The Full Monty, will compose the music and lyrics.

The plot will interweave Bruce Lee’s ascent to stardom with Chinese mythology about the Monkey King. The musical is also intended to weave Chinese pop and culture throughout, making for the full experience.

Via FallOutCentral

Technorati Tags: Asian American, Bartlett Sher, Bruce Lee, Bruce lee: Journey to the West, David Henry Hwang, musical, David Yazbek

“Eiji Tsuburaya is still widely honored in Japan, but his international recognition is often eclipsed by his iconic creatures.”

BoldType review:

August Ragone’s Master of Monsters is the first book published outside of Japan to examine the life and work of special-effects master Eiji Tsuburaya.

While today’s big-budget CGI creations often relegate previous styles to the realm of kitsch, Ragone’s account is an insightful look at the innovation and technology behind one of the industry’s pioneering craftsmen.

Tsuburaya is still widely honored in Japan, but his international recognition is often eclipsed by his iconic creatures: from Godzilla and Mothra to Booska and Ultraman, these unforgettable characters represent the height of kaiju culture and presage the modern taste for nightmarish chaos and catastrophe.

And yet, as Ragone tells it, the story behind their construction is as engrossing as their infamous acts of destruction.

Master of Monsters is part biography, part coffee-table art book. The large volume is organised into chronological chapters about Tsuburaya’s life and career, balancing Ragone’s absorbingly detailed account with stunning images of the man in action. Along with his nationalist propaganda films and sci-fi superheroes, the photographs variously capture Tsuburaya in conversation with reptilian actors, measuring toy-size models of cityscapes, and directing his army of technical engineers.

Although the subject matter may seem esoteric, Tsuburaya’s story is as much about the evolution of Japanese cinema as it is about one of its most pivotal practitioners.

See more on BoldType.com

At Amazon : Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters

Technorati Tags: August Ragone, book, Booska, Eiji Tsuburaya, entertainment, Godzilla, Japan, Master of Monsters, Mothra, kaiju, special-effects, Ultraman

If you’re in London between 19th - 22nd June, 2008, then a free show at the O2 Arena might be worth seeing!

Liz Chi Yen Liew, of Chi2 and Tom E Morrison created original music for the production Time Is Like Water Flowing.
‘Time is like water flowing in a stream, once it is gone you cannot have it back’

Chinese landscape painting is brought to life on an epic scale in this specially commissioned production uniting exquisite depictions of towering mountains and rivers with aerial performance, martial arts and innovative multi-media effects.

In a poetic evocation of passing time and seasonal change, the creative energy of Chinese traditional and contemporary artforms will combine with European virtuosity in creating spectacle, transporting you from the T’ang Dynasty to 21st century Beijing in the blink of an eye.

Original music for this production has been created by Liz Chi Yen Liew and  Tom E Morrison (aka LT CHI SOUND SYSTEM).

Acclaimed for her innovative work as part of electro acoustic violin group Chi2, Liz Liew is well known for her eclectic and dynamic juxtapositions between Chinese and western styles.

Tom E Morrison is an award winning composer and producer whose work has taken in mixing and engineering for the legendary UK band Underworld and composing film music for directors such as Ken Loach and Jackie Chan.

Click for:

Show info
Show pdf flyer (also in Chinese)
Mp3 clips on myspace

ALBUM OUT 18 June on Big Sky Song
14 tracks

Performances:

Thursday 19 June 1.00pm
Friday 20 June 6.00pm, 8.30pm
Saturday 21 June 1.00pm, 4.00pm
Sunday 22 June 1.00pm, 4.00pm

Runs approx 40 mins

FREE entry

Venue:

London Piazza
The O2
North Greenwich, SE10
Tube: North Greenwich

Technorati Tags: 21st century Beijing, aerial performance, CHI2, entertainment, London, O2 Arena, Time Is Like Water Flowing, Tom E Morrison, T’ang Dynasty, United Kingdom

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If you’re in London this Saturday, and fancy a bit of a 1960’s Hong Kong theming, check out Lucky Cat’s club night at the Scooterworks!

If you can’t make it, check out the Lucky Cat blog regularly for more future events.

For more info on Zöe Baxter who is responsible for Lucky Cat, check out our previous post.

Technorati Tags: entertainment, Lucky Cat, Scooterworks, Resonance FM, United Kingdom, Zöe Baxter

Zöe Baxter presents an excellent weekly radio show on Resonance FM called Lucky Cat which focuses on East Asian culture.

Lucky Cat is broadcast on 104.4FM in London or through resonancefm.com every Tuesday at 10pm, repeated Fridays at 2pm. Podcast links can be found on a blog that she also runs to accompany her radio show.

Before I say any more, she has also just been profiled on VisibleChinese for her contribution to the UK’s Chinese culture!

Read more about Zöe Baxter on VisibleChinese.com

ResonanceFM.com

luckykitty.blogspot.com

Technorati Tags: entertainment, Lucky Cat, radio show, Resonance FM, United Kingdom, Zöe Baxter

The third Circle event presented by London’s Chinatown Arts Space is Dance Now at Sadler’s Wells this Fri / Sat, 8pm (Lilian Baylis Theatre). This event is produced in partnership with Sadler’s Wells.

It’s the culmination of two weeks intensive exchange between celebrated Guangdong Modern Dance Co’s Liu Qi (choreographer / dancer) and gay British Vietnamese choreographer / dancer Anh Ngoc Nguyen, exploring the themes of connection & renewal.

GMDC was China’s first professional contemporary dance company (1992), so it’s a rare, precious opportunity to see one of its leading lights working in the UK for the very first time.

Joining them are exciting British Chinese composer Suki Mok and British HK dancer Maggie Kwan.

After their performances, there will be presentations of previous work on DVD, and a chance for a Q&A with the artists about their process of collaboration.

View flyer for more information

See more on chinatownartsspace.com

Technorati Tags: Anh Ngoc Nguyen, British Vietnamese, China, Chinatown Arts Space, dance, Dance Now, Guangdong Modern Dance Co, Lilian Baylis Theatre, Liu Qi, London, Maggie Kwan, Sadlers Wells, Suki Mok, United Kingdom