Everybody's Kung Fu Fighting On Broadway!
By FRANK SCHECK
New York Post, 01-16-2009
SURE, meditation and spiritual harmony get their due in
"Soul of Shaolin," the Chinese martial-arts extravaganza that
opened last night. But let's face it: Most of us are there to see
some serious butt-kicking.
This is the first production from the People's Republic
of China to make it to Broadway, and the
preshow announcements are delivered in English and Chinese. (And if
that country buys up any more of our national debt, you can
probably expect a lot more of that in the future.)
With a cast of 30, the show exists to showcase Shaolin
kung fu, the brand of martial arts associated with the ancient
Shaolin monastery but best known in this country for its huge
influence on popular culture and its wide exposure in film and
television, not to mention rap videos.
There's
a story of sorts, involving a young boy who's separated from his
mother by war and raised by the monks of the Shaolin temple, who
school him in their rigorous arts.
But it's mainly an excuse for the impressive performers -
you may have caught them at the Beijing Olympics - to provide a
dazzling display of their skills, many involving staffs and sabers,
but mostly their masterful control of their own bodies.
The athleticism on display is truly amazing, performed by
everyone from small children to one particularly charismatic
one-armed master. They do somersaults without using their hands,
contort their bodies into all kinds of poses, and hang from poles
outfitted with sharp blades. There's also an entertaining display
of the sort of "Drunken Master" routine, complete with accompanying
woozy music, popularized by Jackie Chan in several
films.
Director Liu Tongbiao has choreographed the proceedings
with a precision that would put the Rockettes to shame. It all
culminates in a final raucous battle, and the most athletic curtain
calls probably ever seen on a Broadway stage.
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