Monkey: Journey to the West
Encyclopedia
Monkey: Journey to the West is a stage adaptation of the 16th Century Chinese
novel Journey to the West
, by Wu Cheng'en
. It was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-zheng
with the British musician Damon Albarn
and British artist Jamie Hewlett
.
approached Jean-Luc Choplin of the Théâtre du Châtelet
, Paris, about staging an opera based on Wu Cheng'en
's 16th century novel Journey to the West
. Chen had worked with the writer David Greenspan
on an outline dramaturgy
, but had not identified a composer for the project. Choplin spoke about the proposal to Alex Poots, director of the Manchester International Festival
, who suggested a number of composers he had worked with, as well as the British pop musician Damon Albarn
.
Gorillaz
, comprising Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett
, were around this time involved with the Manchester International Festival in planning a residency under the auspices of the festival at the Manchester Opera House
. Albarn was interested in the idea of writing an opera for the festival, and so he and Hewlett met with Poots and Choplin to discuss a collaboration with Chen. Albarn and Hewlett then travelled to China to meet with Chen. Chen took them into the Chinese countryside, where they took photographs and field recordings of folk musicians as a basis from which to develop musical and visual ideas for the production. Albarn and Hewlett returned to the UK and worked separately on its musical and visual aspects. Chen undertook casting auditions in Beijing, assisted at first by Hewlett and David Coulter, who was to be a musical advisor to the project.
Cast rehearsals took place in Paris, where the costumes and set designed by Hewlett were being produced, and then in Manchester.
, ondes Martenot
, glass harmonica
, and a klaxophone
, which features car-horns attached to a musical keyboard, which was purpose-built for the production by artist Gavin Turk
. Strings were performed by a string section assembled for Gorillaz live performances. Albarn devised a system for the score based on the Chinese Red Star
. The orchestra was joined by an eight-piece choir provided by Liverpool-based Sense of Sound.
, on June 28, 2007 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
, where it ran until July 7. The Festival also ran a programme of educational workshops in local schools, in partnership with Manchester's Chinese Arts Centre
. In the programme, local children were introduced to the tale of Journey to the West, and learnt about various aspects of Chinese culture, music and dance, including mask-making, puppet-making, T'ai chi and Kung Fu.
It was subsequently staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet
in Paris
between September 26 and October 13 2007 and at the Spoleto Festival USA
in Charleston, SC in May 2008. A further run was planned for the Berlin Staatsoper
in July 2008, but instead took place at the London
Royal Opera House
. The show also ran at the O2 arena in London, ending on January 4th 2009.
A residency for the show in China during 2009 was considered.
Monkey hatches from a stone egg and makes his home in the forest. Over time, he becomes obsessed with seeking immortality, and travels the world to find a teacher. He finds Subodhi
in the Mountain of Heart and Mind, who gives him the name Sun Wu Kong
- the Monkey with the Realisation of Emptiness.
Monkey dives into the Eastern Sea and comes across the Crystal Palace of the Old Dragon King
, where he requests to be given a weapon. He is given a magical iron rod, and the Old Dragon King is also cowed into giving him his helmet, armour and shoes.
Monkey travels to heaven to demand recognition of his newfound power. There he finds seven fairies preparing a banquet for the birthday of the Queen Mother of Heaven. Incensed that he has not been invited, he begins to eat the Queen Mother's magical heavenly peaches, and fights off each of her divine guests who try to prevent this. The Queen Mother then calls upon Buddha to deal with Monkey.
Buddha presents Monkey with the challenge of escaping his palm. Monkey is unable to do so, and so he is imprisoned by Buddha.
Five hundred years later, Guan Yin chooses Tripitaka
to go on a mission to bring back the Holy Scriptures
from India
. Pigsy, Sandy
, the Dragon Prince (who is transformed into Tripitaka's white horse for the journey) and Monkey (released by Tripitaka from his prison) are chosen to accompany him.
Believing she can achieve immortality by eating Tripitaka's flesh, the White Skeleton Demon adopts disguises in an attempt to fool Tripitaka and his companions. Monkey sees through the disguises, and on each occasion kills the White Skeleton Demon. Tripitaka, however, is horrified by Monkey's display of violence and expels him from the group.
Tripitaka and the other pilgrims travel to the cave of the Spider Woman, who tries to seduce Tripitaka. Pigsy is distracted by the Spider Woman's sexy companions, allowing the Spider Woman to trap Tripitaka. Sandy rushes off to find Monkey, who then defeats the Spider Woman. Feeling sorry for expelling Monkey, Tripitaka asks Monkey to rejoin the group and so he does.
The group travels to a volcano. The only way to pass is to extinguish the volcano using a magic fan belonging to Princess Iron Fan
. She refuses to give the fan, and at first Monkey is unable to defeat her. With help from Guan Yin, he transforms himself into a bee, which the Princess swallows, and Monkey is able to defeat her from inside. He claims the fan, and the group continues on its journey.
The group arrives in paradise, and is given the scriptures by Buddha. Tripitaka is created Buddha of the Purest Merit. Pigsy is made Janitor of the Altars. Sandy becomes a Golden-bodied Arhat. The white horse becomes the Dragon prince once more. Monkey is made Buddha Victorious in Strife.
at number five and the UK indie chart at number one.
The track Monkey Bee entered the UK Singles Chart
based on downloads alone at number 196.
as a trailer and the title sequence
for their coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics
, held in Beijing
. They regarded criticism of their cultural engagement with the event as hypocritical, whilst acknowledging human rights issues in China. According to Hewlett: "If you start to boycott China...America has to be next".
Cast
Crew
Culture of China
Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest and most complex. The area in which the culture is dominant covers a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between towns, cities and provinces...
novel Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
, by Wu Cheng'en
Wu Cheng'en
Wu Cheng'en , courtesy name Ruzhong , pen name "Sheyang Hermit," was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty, best known for being the attributed author of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West.-Biography:Wu was born in Lianshui, in Jiangsu...
. It was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-zheng
Chen Shi-zheng
Chen Shi-Zheng 陳士爭 born in 1963 in Changsha, Hunan, China) is a New York-based theater director.Having earned a BA from the Hunan Art School in Traditional Opera, he received his MA from the Tisch School of Art at New York University...
with the British musician Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
and British artist Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
.
Development
In 2004, Chinese opera director Chen Shi-zhengChen Shi-zheng
Chen Shi-Zheng 陳士爭 born in 1963 in Changsha, Hunan, China) is a New York-based theater director.Having earned a BA from the Hunan Art School in Traditional Opera, he received his MA from the Tisch School of Art at New York University...
approached Jean-Luc Choplin of the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
, Paris, about staging an opera based on Wu Cheng'en
Wu Cheng'en
Wu Cheng'en , courtesy name Ruzhong , pen name "Sheyang Hermit," was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty, best known for being the attributed author of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West.-Biography:Wu was born in Lianshui, in Jiangsu...
's 16th century novel Journey to the West
Journey to the West
Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley...
. Chen had worked with the writer David Greenspan
David Greenspan
David Greenspan is an award-winning American actor and playwright. In 1997 he received an Obie Award for his work in the off-broadway revival of Boys in the Band....
on an outline dramaturgy
Dramaturgy
Dramaturgy is the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage. Dramaturgy is a distinct practice separate from play writing and directing, although a single individual may perform any combination of the three. Some dramatists combine writing and...
, but had not identified a composer for the project. Choplin spoke about the proposal to Alex Poots, director of the Manchester International Festival
Manchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival is an international cultural festival of original new work, held in the English city of Manchester. It is a biennial event, first taking place in June–July 2007, and subsequently recurring in the summers of 2009 and 2011...
, who suggested a number of composers he had worked with, as well as the British pop musician Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
.
Gorillaz
Gorillaz
Gorillaz is an English musical project created in 1998 by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters...
, comprising Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Hewlett
Jamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
, were around this time involved with the Manchester International Festival in planning a residency under the auspices of the festival at the Manchester Opera House
Manchester Opera House
The Opera House in Quay Street, Manchester, England is a 1,920 seater commercial touring theatre which plays host to touring musicals, ballet, concerts and a Christmas pantomime. It is the sister to the Palace Theatre which is a similar venue in nearby Oxford Street at its junction with Whitworth...
. Albarn was interested in the idea of writing an opera for the festival, and so he and Hewlett met with Poots and Choplin to discuss a collaboration with Chen. Albarn and Hewlett then travelled to China to meet with Chen. Chen took them into the Chinese countryside, where they took photographs and field recordings of folk musicians as a basis from which to develop musical and visual ideas for the production. Albarn and Hewlett returned to the UK and worked separately on its musical and visual aspects. Chen undertook casting auditions in Beijing, assisted at first by Hewlett and David Coulter, who was to be a musical advisor to the project.
Cast rehearsals took place in Paris, where the costumes and set designed by Hewlett were being produced, and then in Manchester.
Musicians
Albarn and Coulter assembled a 25-member orchestra featuring traditional Western and Chinese instruments, as well as musical sawMusical saw
A musical saw, also called a singing saw, is the application of a hand saw as a musical instrument. The sound creates an ethereal tone, very similar to the theremin...
, ondes Martenot
Ondes Martenot
The ondes Martenot , also known as the ondium Martenot, Martenot and ondes musicales, is an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. The original design was similar in sound to the theremin...
, glass harmonica
Glass harmonica
The glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica , is a type of musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical tones by means of friction The glass harmonica, also known as the glass...
, and a klaxophone
Klaxophone
The Klaxophone is a musical instrument created by the American composer Henry Fillmore. Made of twelve car horns, it was created for use in his 'Klaxon March which was composed in 1929 for the Cincinnati, USA Automobile Show. This piece featured the instrument mounted onto a table and powered by a...
, which features car-horns attached to a musical keyboard, which was purpose-built for the production by artist Gavin Turk
Gavin Turk
Gavin Turk is a British artist and one of the Young British Artists . He often uses his own image in life-size sculptures of famous people.-Life and work:...
. Strings were performed by a string section assembled for Gorillaz live performances. Albarn devised a system for the score based on the Chinese Red Star
Red star
A red star, five-pointed and filled, is an important ideological and religious symbol which has been used for various purposes, such as: state emblems, flags, monuments, ornaments, and logos.- Symbol of communism :...
. The orchestra was joined by an eight-piece choir provided by Liverpool-based Sense of Sound.
Performances
The production received its world premiere as the opening show of the inaugural Manchester International FestivalManchester International Festival
The Manchester International Festival is an international cultural festival of original new work, held in the English city of Manchester. It is a biennial event, first taking place in June–July 2007, and subsequently recurring in the summers of 2009 and 2011...
, on June 28, 2007 at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...
, where it ran until July 7. The Festival also ran a programme of educational workshops in local schools, in partnership with Manchester's Chinese Arts Centre
Chinese Arts Centre
The Chinese Arts Centre is the UK agency for Chinese Arts, Culture and Creativity based in Manchester, England.Chinese Arts Centre is the international development agency for contemporary Chinese artists. Based in Manchester in the northwest of England, Chinese Arts Centre works to support and...
. In the programme, local children were introduced to the tale of Journey to the West, and learnt about various aspects of Chinese culture, music and dance, including mask-making, puppet-making, T'ai chi and Kung Fu.
It was subsequently staged at the Théâtre du Châtelet
Théâtre du Châtelet
The Théâtre du Châtelet is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.One of two theatres built on the site of a châtelet, a small castle or fortress, it was designed by Gabriel Davioud at the request of Baron Haussmann between 1860 and...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
between September 26 and October 13 2007 and at the Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA
Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the world's major performing arts festivals. It was founded in 1977 by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Gian Carlo Menotti, who sought to establish a counterpart to the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, Italy...
in Charleston, SC in May 2008. A further run was planned for the Berlin Staatsoper
Berlin State Opera
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden is a German opera company. Its permanent home is the opera house on the Unter den Linden boulevard in the Mitte district of Berlin, which also hosts the Staatskapelle Berlin orchestra.-Early years:...
in July 2008, but instead took place at the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply "Covent Garden", after a previous use of the site of the opera house's original construction in 1732. It is the home of The Royal Opera, The...
. The show also ran at the O2 arena in London, ending on January 4th 2009.
A residency for the show in China during 2009 was considered.
Synopsis
- Scene 1: Birth of MonkeySun WukongSun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
and His Quest for Immortality
Monkey hatches from a stone egg and makes his home in the forest. Over time, he becomes obsessed with seeking immortality, and travels the world to find a teacher. He finds Subodhi
Subhuti
Subhūti was one of the Ten Great Śrāvakas of Śākyamuni Buddha, and foremost in the understanding of emptiness. In Sanskrit, his name literally means "Good Existence" . He is also sometimes referred to as or "Elder Subhūti"...
in the Mountain of Heart and Mind, who gives him the name Sun Wu Kong
Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
- the Monkey with the Realisation of Emptiness.
- Scene 2: Crystal Palace of the Eastern SeaDonghai (Chinese mythology)East Sea is identified as the body of water east of the mainland, according to ancient Chinese geography. It contains modern day East China Sea as well as the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea....
and the Iron Rod
Monkey dives into the Eastern Sea and comes across the Crystal Palace of the Old Dragon King
Dragon King
The four Dragon Kings are, in Chinese mythology, the divine rulers of the four seas . Although Dragon Kings appear in their true forms as dragons, they have the ability to shapeshift into human form...
, where he requests to be given a weapon. He is given a magical iron rod, and the Old Dragon King is also cowed into giving him his helmet, armour and shoes.
- Scene 3: Heavenly Peach Banquet
Monkey travels to heaven to demand recognition of his newfound power. There he finds seven fairies preparing a banquet for the birthday of the Queen Mother of Heaven. Incensed that he has not been invited, he begins to eat the Queen Mother's magical heavenly peaches, and fights off each of her divine guests who try to prevent this. The Queen Mother then calls upon Buddha to deal with Monkey.
- Scene 4: BuddhaGautama BuddhaSiddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
's Great Palm
Buddha presents Monkey with the challenge of escaping his palm. Monkey is unable to do so, and so he is imprisoned by Buddha.
- Scene 5: The Pilgrims
Five hundred years later, Guan Yin chooses Tripitaka
Xuanzang
Xuanzang was a famous Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator who described the interaction between China and India in the early Tang period...
to go on a mission to bring back the Holy Scriptures
Tripiṭaka
' is a traditional term used by various Buddhist sects to describe their various canons of scriptures. As the name suggests, a traditionally contains three "baskets" of teachings: a , a and an .-The three categories:Tripitaka is the three main categories of texts that make up the...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Pigsy, Sandy
Sha Wujing
Shā Wùjìng is one of the three disciples of Xuánzàng in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the novels, his background is the least developed of the pilgrims and he contributes the least to their efforts...
, the Dragon Prince (who is transformed into Tripitaka's white horse for the journey) and Monkey (released by Tripitaka from his prison) are chosen to accompany him.
- Scene 6: The White Skeleton DemonBai Gu JingBai Gu Jing is a yaoguai from Journey to the West.-Plot:The four travelers have entered another dangerous region. Sun Wukong leaves to scout around the area, but puts Sanzang and the other two disciples inside a magic circle...
Believing she can achieve immortality by eating Tripitaka's flesh, the White Skeleton Demon adopts disguises in an attempt to fool Tripitaka and his companions. Monkey sees through the disguises, and on each occasion kills the White Skeleton Demon. Tripitaka, however, is horrified by Monkey's display of violence and expels him from the group.
- Scene 7: The Spider Woman
Tripitaka and the other pilgrims travel to the cave of the Spider Woman, who tries to seduce Tripitaka. Pigsy is distracted by the Spider Woman's sexy companions, allowing the Spider Woman to trap Tripitaka. Sandy rushes off to find Monkey, who then defeats the Spider Woman. Feeling sorry for expelling Monkey, Tripitaka asks Monkey to rejoin the group and so he does.
- Scene 8: Volcano City
The group travels to a volcano. The only way to pass is to extinguish the volcano using a magic fan belonging to Princess Iron Fan
Princess Iron Fan
Princess Iron Fan is a fictional character from the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West. She is the wife of the Bull King and mother of Red Boy. She is a beautiful goddess living in an underground cave awaiting her husband's return, but also angry at him for his affair with a foxy vixen...
. She refuses to give the fan, and at first Monkey is unable to defeat her. With help from Guan Yin, he transforms himself into a bee, which the Princess swallows, and Monkey is able to defeat her from inside. He claims the fan, and the group continues on its journey.
- Scene 9: Paradise
The group arrives in paradise, and is given the scriptures by Buddha. Tripitaka is created Buddha of the Purest Merit. Pigsy is made Janitor of the Altars. Sandy becomes a Golden-bodied Arhat. The white horse becomes the Dragon prince once more. Monkey is made Buddha Victorious in Strife.
Soundtrack
A CD based on the opera was released in August 2008. Because Albarn felt that stage performances "always sound false on record", he decided to revisit his original ideas for the music and create new arrangements of the key songs from the opera. The album entered the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at number five and the UK indie chart at number one.
The track Monkey Bee entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
based on downloads alone at number 196.
2008 Olympics
Hewlett and Albarn included characters from Monkey: Journey to the West in an animation sequence titled "Journey to the East", used by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as a trailer and the title sequence
Title sequence
A Title Sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound...
for their coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, held in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. They regarded criticism of their cultural engagement with the event as hypocritical, whilst acknowledging human rights issues in China. According to Hewlett: "If you start to boycott China...America has to be next".
2007 cast and crew
- The Monkey KingSun WukongSun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
: Fei Yang/Yang Fukai (understudy) - TripitakaXuanzang (fictional character)The fictional character Xuanzang is a central character of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.For most of the novel he is known as Táng-sānzàng, the title Sānzàng referring to his mission to seek the Sānzàngjīng, the "Three Collections of Scriptures"...
: Yao Ningning - Pigsy: Xu Kejia
- SandySha WujingShā Wùjìng is one of the three disciples of Xuánzàng in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, although versions of his character predate the Ming novel. In the novels, his background is the least developed of the pilgrims and he contributes the least to their efforts...
: He Zijun - The White Horse: Chen Jihu/Wang Kai
- SubodhiSubhutiSubhūti was one of the Ten Great Śrāvakas of Śākyamuni Buddha, and foremost in the understanding of emptiness. In Sanskrit, his name literally means "Good Existence" . He is also sometimes referred to as or "Elder Subhūti"...
/Buddha: Liu Chang - White Skeleton DemonBai Gu JingBai Gu Jing is a yaoguai from Journey to the West.-Plot:The four travelers have entered another dangerous region. Sun Wukong leaves to scout around the area, but puts Sanzang and the other two disciples inside a magic circle...
/Princess Iron FanPrincess Iron FanPrincess Iron Fan is a fictional character from the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West. She is the wife of the Bull King and mother of Red Boy. She is a beautiful goddess living in an underground cave awaiting her husband's return, but also angry at him for his affair with a foxy vixen...
: Tang Ling - Queen Mother of Heaven/Guan Yin: Jia RuhanJia RuhanJia Ruhan is a Chinese soprano who performs in plays, as well as in opera, musicals, films and solo recitals. She was born in Shijiazhuang and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music....
- The Dragon KingDragon KingThe four Dragon Kings are, in Chinese mythology, the divine rulers of the four seas . Although Dragon Kings appear in their true forms as dragons, they have the ability to shapeshift into human form...
: Wang Wei - Spider Woman: Zeng Li
- The Volcano General: Yu Fengnian
Crew
- Acrobatic Director: Yang Jiansheng
- Martial Arts Director: Zhang Jinhghua
- Aerial Director: Caroline Vexler
- Musical score: Damon AlbarnDamon AlbarnDamon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...
- Musical Director: David Coulter
- Conductor: André de Ridder
- Special instruments : Thomas BlochThomas BlochThomas Bloch is a classical musician specializing in the rare instruments ondes Martenot, glass harmonica, and Cristal Baschet....
(ondes MartenotOndes MartenotThe ondes Martenot , also known as the ondium Martenot, Martenot and ondes musicales, is an early electronic musical instrument invented in 1928 by Maurice Martenot. The original design was similar in sound to the theremin...
, glass harmonicaGlass harmonicaThe glass harmonica, also known as the glass armonica, bowl organ, hydrocrystalophone, or simply the armonica , is a type of musical instrument that uses a series of glass bowls or goblets graduated in size to produce musical tones by means of friction The glass harmonica, also known as the glass...
, cristal BaschetCristal baschetThe Cristal Baschet is a musical instrument that produces sound from oscillating glass cylinders. The Cristal Baschet is also known as the Crystal Organ and the Crystal Baschet, and composed of 54 chromatically-tuned glass rods. The glass rods are rubbed with moistened fingers to produce vibrations...
) - Visual concept and design: Jamie HewlettJamie HewlettJamie Christopher Hewlett is an English comic book artist and designer. He is known for being the co-creator of the comic Tank Girl and co-creator of the virtual band Gorillaz.-Biography:...
- Dramaturgy: David GreenspanDavid GreenspanDavid Greenspan is an award-winning American actor and playwright. In 1997 he received an Obie Award for his work in the off-broadway revival of Boys in the Band....
- Libretto and direction: Chen Shi-zhengChen Shi-zhengChen Shi-Zheng 陳士爭 born in 1963 in Changsha, Hunan, China) is a New York-based theater director.Having earned a BA from the Hunan Art School in Traditional Opera, he received his MA from the Tisch School of Art at New York University...
- Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Barry Bartlett
External links
- Monkey animation for BBC 2008 Olympics coverage
- Monkey: Journey To The West - world premiere review
- The musicians of the UK Chinese Music Ensemble about the project
- review on Monkey:Journey to the west at Spoleto USA 2008
- Ba Ban Chinese Music Society of New York participation in Monkey US premiere 2008
- Telegraph.co.uk, Review of Journey to the West