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Sarah Frater's rating
Chun Yi is worth seeing for the performers
By
Sarah Frater
31 Jul 2009
I think I can guarantee you won’t have seen anything quite like this. Chun Yi is a kung fu caper, with 40-or-so high kicking, air-punching, ye-ha-ing performers.
There are spikes, spears, swords and shields which they run onto and bounce off. There’s also dry ice, big music, a bombastic voice-over, spectacular sets, child performers, and more mystic guff than Enrich Von Daniken and Dan Brown combined.
It ostensibly tells the story of a young boy’s training in the way of kung fu, the journey he takes and risks he runs. There’s also circle-of-life stuff, all of which adds up to a silly show whose able performers are sorely underused.
It would be far better if the predominantly male cast simply tumbled and soared, and we could ooh and ahh at their awesome hang time and astonishingly soft landings.
Their horizontal tumbling is also good, as are the three women, although rather predictably they only play a mother, temptress and sweetheart.
How you wish they’d get on with the acrobatics and stop looking so blinking forlorn. Chun Yi is worth seeing for the performers, although you sense them endlessly holding back while we endure two hours of gloopy storytelling and the baffling “wisdom” of monks smashing iron bars on their heads.
Until 16 August. Information: 0871 911 0200, www.eno.org.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Reader views (3)
this looks really good does anyone know if i could get tickets to this still and where i could see it?
thanks
- Becky, surrey england, 10/09/2009 21:41
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The performers were amazing but if you have seen any other similar shaolin monk shows (Wheel of life, etc) you will have seen it all before. Direction wise this is the cheesiest, campest thing you have EVER seen. What kind of a director must it take to take the raw power and discipline of these performers and STILL make it look like the campest thing you have ever seen? An awful one that's what. Shaolin monks in spangly, glittery lycra and TERRIBLE acting and ballet definately tainted this show with a touch of the cringeworthy for me. Oh, and the soundtrack was awful too.
- Wei, London, 10/08/2009 08:50
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brilliant show - worthy of more than 2 stars if the audience response is acknowledged (including we 3 ) we do a lot of musicals and so this was a new experience ...music was excellent performance brilliant and the sensitive dancing and ballet plus beautiful acrobatics contrasting with the sheer physical strenth and speed was a joy to behold Lets have more spectacles like this in London
Wendy
- Wendy, London, 31/07/2009 18:47
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