The Chinese folklore goes grand at Macau

What Superman, Batman or Wonder Girl is to the world, Monkey King is to the Chinese. He is present in folklores, comics, television shows, novels, video games and movies like 'The Forbidden Kingdom' and 'Journey to the West 2: The Demon Strikes Back'. Now, to extend its appeal and keep up with new-age technology, the tale has been adapted into a grand theatrical fantasy incorporating acrobatics, dance, martial arts, roller skating, magic and even operatic songs by award-winning artists. Adding to the visual experience are multimedia elements such as 3D, video mapping and LED screen projections.

A production by Sands Cotai Theatre in Macau by the Beijing-based Hua Yan Group, the play is based on a 16th-century classic novel, Journey to the West, featuring historic events from the 7th-century CE. "The original story is about a Chinese monk called Xuanzang and his three disciples' pilgrimage to ancient India to obtain Buddhist scriptures," says Jia Juan, president of the Hua Yan Art Troupe, who is the executive director of 'Monkey King'. "Kids in '80s and '90s grew up watching the 1986 TV adaptation of the novel. This adaptation is the most popular one. However, because of the poor special effects and picture quality, it's losing its appeal among the young generation," he adds.

To remedy this, the producers decided to recreate the story in a grander format. The 'Monkey King' has about 150 artists and technicians, who've worked eight years to bring to stage the 80-minute long narrative, set against stunning backdrops – from a celestial landscape, featuring beautiful flowers and birds, to a Buddhist community, a dragon's underwater palace, or mountains and the sea.

"The theatre is purpose-built for the show with a 270-degree panoramic view," says Juan, adding that her team still finds the special effects lacking. "The creative team wants the most advanced technology to make the movement of the 18-meter demon hands and 7-ton Buddha's hand seem more flexible."

Then, the 10,000-word script took the production team almost two years to finalise. "The script-writing process was as arduous as the journey to Buddha-land. Every episode is so well-known to the Chinese that eliminating any one of them was extremely hard," says Juan. Since its debut last February, the show has added subtitles narrated in English alongside most dialogues. But to read these, one must look above the stage and, with so much going on, one is likely to miss out.

However, is 'Monkey King' relevant today? "Like Shakespeare's Hamlet, Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, and the characters created by Tagore, 'Monkey King' will never lose its relevance. The character is an embodiment of loyalty, bravery, and strength. The story about the pilgrimage to ancient India is often referred to as the pilgrimage to get something you deserve, which involves overcoming a few difficulties, relevant in today's pop culture where opportunism is celebrated," adds Juan, who plans to tour the world with the production.

Monkey King is performed every evening (except Thursday) at 8pm at Sands Cotai Theatre, Macau