Monkey: A Tale from China

Synopsis

Monkey, also known as Journey to the West, tells of the adventures of a rogue trickster, Monkey, and his encounters with a series of demons, spirits and gods. Monkey meets up with the Buddhist pilgrim Tripikaka and they enlist the help of Pigsy and Sandy as they travel to India in search of sacred scriptures. A 16th Century epic Monkey is one of the most popular classics in Asian literature.

Our Review:

6 December 2001

Monkey says, "It's time to play," and Monkey does! The Young Vic once again stretches its multi-cultural theatrical envelope to draw on classical Chinese legend to produce a show of considerable delight, panache and athleticism.

The stories chronicled here are perhaps best known from the cult 1970s Japanese television show; but, in fact, the origins of the culturally iconic character of a magic Monkey King can be traced as far back as the fifth century AD. The character also appears in the Indian epic Ramayana (coincidentally also briefly seen at the National this year in a co-production with Birmingham Rep), and many plays from late medieval China's Yuan dynasty. Colin Teevan, the adapter/writer of the new Young Vic version, points out in a programme note that the most complete, surviving account of Monkey's exploits was first published in 1592 that, in its four-volume English translation, ran to some 1,900 pages.

The tales are condensed here to a b...

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