China's classic fantasy novel Journey to the West is a perennial fountainhead of entertainment and performing arts. During the Spring Festival season, Beijing enjoys not one but two productions of acrobatics that utilize the main characters and story lines from the literary masterpiece.

Stunning acrobatics and magic makes The Monkey King a popular show in Beijing.

The current show, named The Monkey King, and running until Friday at Poly Theater, is produced by a Zhejiang troupe. Heavily influenced by Japanese anime, including Hello Kitty, the performance features costumes that at once reflect the fantasy world of the original story and modern sensibilities.

The taking of bows at the end of the show is replete with a street dance so that none of the young in the audience is willing to say good-bye to until they are absolutely sure the curtain won't rise again.

The biggest difference between this production and the earlier one: It uses acrobatics and magic to serve the plot, not the other way around. The story tells of the monkey being called into service when his master and fellow apprentices Piggy and Sandy are captured by the White-Bone Demon. His instant transformations makes clever use of visual trickery that would make David Copperfield proud. Somersaults and jumping through hoops are our traditional strength, and now with dramatic content, they become all the more appealing.

The Zhejiang troupe has a special bond with the Monkey King legend. A 1960 movie presented a local opera version of the Monkey King-vs-White-Bone Demon tale and served to popularize it nationwide.

Liu Ling Tong, an actor who specializes in playing the mischievous monkey, was later plucked to star in the television series in the 1980s, which turned into an even bigger hit.

One of the apprentices of Liu Ling Tong is now at the helm of the current production, which melds acrobatics, dance, kungfu and traditional opera (that is, without singing or dialogue). Because of the nature of the performance, the main characters are played by several actors, who don the same costumes but offer different techniques.

The Japanese influence is the result of a partnership with Sanrio Company and a production of Hello Kitty eight years ago. Zhejiang acrobats participated in the show. After watching several more local cartoon-inspired stage presentations, director Wei Zhenbo of the Zhejiang troupe came to the conclusion that the Monkey King story would make for a perfect "fantasy gala".

The Las Vegas-styled show will delight not only children but also tourists.

(China Daily February 13, 2009)