Monday, July 8, 2013
Last night, Jeff and I drove to Manhattan to see a performance of Monkey: Journey to the West at Lincoln Center. It was a modern operatic retelling of a 16th century Chinese novel with acrobatics, animation, and martial arts. The singers sang in Mandarin to the accompaniment of a full orchestra.
Doors of the Theater at Lincoln Center
It was an epic tale of the arrogant Monkey King’s quest to find immortality. The Monkey had to accompany and protect the Buddhist monk, Tripitaka, on a journey to India to receive holy scriptures. The other characters on this pilgrimage were Pigsy (who suffered from lustfulness), Sandy (melancholy), and The Dragon Prince (carelessness) who had been turned into a white horse. Along the way, the characters battled many great perils and supernatural obstacles.
David H. Koch Theater
Monkey: Journey to the West utilized elements of traditional Chinese Opera, for example stylized movements and choreographed sword fights. However, the colorful costumes and music were modern. The singers had excellent voices especially the woman who played the trouser-role of Tripitaka. The acrobatics and contortionists, which reminded me of a simplified version of Cirque de Soleil, were entertaining. The animation was primitive by today’s computer graphics standards but added another mystical layer of visual complexity. In summation, I would say the performance was ‘interesting’. I wondered if Monkey: Journey to the West was a view into future entertainment for the current techno-savvy multi-tasking short-attention span youth of today.
Viewing Each Other
Nitty gritty: We had a reasonably priced light supper of soup & salad and sandwich at Indie located in the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center on 65th Street.
Fountain at Lincoln Center
Note: All photos were taken with my iPhone.