The Stage

Monkey: A Journey to the West

Published Monday 9 July 2007 at 11:20 by Alistair Smith

I found myself watching Monkey: A Journey to the West twice within a day.

That I was willing to return to see this Chinese circus opera - Damon Albarn’s first foray into musical theatre composition - underlines the undoubted quality of the product.

However, the fact I needed to view it for a second time, unfortunately, highlights how unsuited to the Palace Theatre, Manchester this production is.

For, on my first visit, I was given the ‘wrong’ seat, which found me two thirds of the way back in the stalls. This meant I could see a little over half the stage. The top third was completely obscured by the floor of the dress circle, while due to poor raking, I could only read half of the subtitles projected below the action. My Mandarin being a little rusty, the plot was a mite hard to follow. The invisible top third also meant I missed out on much of the aerial work - at one point nearly an entire scene.

I was able to return in the evening to see the show from an improved vantage - and it revealed a superb work, blending modern variety and musical theatre, as visually impressive as it is sonically - Albarn’s eclectic music, Jamie Hewlett’s comic book designs and Chen Shi Zheng’s acrobatic staging all complementing each other perfectly.

However, those sat around me at the matinee were not and several of them complained at the lack of visibility. Some even left part way through. Not only was this unfair on them, but also on a cast who, to a man and woman, put in superb performances. This is a must-see show - in every sense.

If, as it certainly deserves, this plays elsewhere in the UK, it needs to find a more suitable venue.