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2nd Jul 2007, 10:13 AM #1
Damon Albarn's MONKEY - The Opera
From NME.com
Damon Albarn's circus opera launched the Manchester International Festival last night (June 28).
The Blur man composed the music for 'Monkey: Journey To The West', a show designed by Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett and directed by Chen Shi-Zheng.
The opera, a mixture of stunning live-action circus acts and animations, saw Albarn, Hewlett and Shi-Zheng received a standing ovation as they joined the cast onstage for the curtain call at the Palace Theatre.
An adaptation of an ancient Chinese legend, the opera follows the story of The Monkey King, a hyperactive ape who gains immortality after leading a revolt against heaven.
The sub-titled production unfolds amongst a series of impressive live-action acts, including acrobats, contortionists and martial artists.
"It's the original adventure story, but it's 2000 years old; that's what really drew us to it," said Albarn. "We went to China and travelled around, to get a picture of what China is like now, and combine it with ancient, classic China. Just come and see it!"
Festival Director Alex Poots added: "It's a fantastic idea, a fairytale, a legend and a contemporary opera being made by three truly innovative global artists."
The show, which runs at the Palace Theatre until July 7, was the opening event of the first bi-annual Manchester International Festival, an eighteen day bash which includes gigs by Kayne West, Happy Mondays, PJ Harvey and The Fall.
For more information visit Manchesterinternationalfestival.com.
Albarn meanwhile returns to band duties as The Good, The Band And The Queen return to live action with a concert at the Tower Of London on July 9.Pity. I have no understanding of the word. It is not registered in my vocabulary bank. EXTERMINATE!
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2nd Jul 2007, 2:27 PM #2
Write some more hits you wretched man!!
Si.
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2nd Jul 2007, 2:53 PM #3
Looking forward to Dave Roundtree's aircraft concept album.
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2nd Jul 2007, 3:25 PM #4
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2nd Jul 2007, 3:55 PM #5
What was that one he did about parklife? That was really good.
Si.
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2nd Jul 2007, 4:25 PM #6It's also completely in Mandarin dialect, I seem to recall?
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2nd Jul 2007, 6:00 PM #7
He's another one from the Annie Lennox school of being too high and mighty to write commercial hits anymore.
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2nd Jul 2007, 6:39 PM #8
Aside from all those top selling and fun Gorillaz tracks, eh?
Si xx
I've just got my handcuffs and my truncheon and that's enough.
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2nd Jul 2007, 9:42 PM #9
It's based on "Journey to the West", which was a Chinese 16th century collection of stories if I remember. The TV series "Monkey" was based on them, but this opera isn't a new version of that TV series, but it is based on "Journey to the West".
Felt the need to clear that up!
I was going to go tomorrow, but the tickets had sold out. So, wanting to impress my date (who's idea "Monkey" had been) I suggested "The Tempest" at the Royal Exchange, but that'd bloody sold out as well.
"Shrek the third" it is then!
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2nd Jul 2007, 10:08 PM #10Aside from all those top selling and fun Gorillaz tracks, eh?
Si.
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2nd Jul 2007, 10:19 PM #11I have a sneaking suspicion that Gorillaz was a self-indulgent wheeze that was accidentally phenomenally popular.Pity. I have no understanding of the word. It is not registered in my vocabulary bank. EXTERMINATE!
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2nd Jul 2007, 11:18 PM #12
Tell that to a Belinda Carlisle fan!
Si.
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2nd Jul 2007, 11:30 PM #13WhiteCrow Guest
You know this reminds me of when I used to listen to BBC London Live and they would always rave about a musical called "Fossey", how it's costumes were incredible, and the tap numbers just amazing.
For some reason I thought it was the musical life of Diane Fossey, the gorilla woman - so some kind of strange tap dancing fusion of Gorillas in the Mist and Caberet. Which I REALLY wanted to see.
Instead it was actually a musical about Bob Fosse a famous choreographer!
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3rd Jul 2007, 7:20 PM #14
As pointed out by someone who knows more about Oriental drama than I do, Shakespeare (one of our greats) is performed upteen times in China every year, and part of the idea is that (for once!) we have a go at one of their greats.
That story means a lot to that culture, and isn't just some fondly remembered late '70s TV show. If that means it has to be in mandarin then I'll watch it in mandarin, and I'll be quite happy to think that it may actually be like the source material, and feel a bit priveledged rather than thinking Albarn's deliberatly being a pretentious arse. There are subtitles, so it's not a problem and will probably sound a lot more authentic.
I've got tickets. I'm going tomorrow.
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3rd Jul 2007, 7:22 PM #15
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4th Jul 2007, 3:25 AM #16
I'm quite disappointed that it isn't based on Monkey, without Pigsy and Fishface (er, or whatever he was called) and co being overdubbed in a hilariously bad way I have no interest in seeing this at all!
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4th Jul 2007, 9:16 AM #17
Monkey for all of it 70's cheese, actually sticks reasonably closely to the original legend
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4th Jul 2007, 5:18 PM #18
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4th Jul 2007, 8:29 PM #19
Oh yeah, that post was definitely tongue in cheek. I'd like to see this, even though I've struggled with opera in the past. Hope you have a great night tonight, anyway Carol!
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5th Jul 2007, 6:48 PM #20
I did!
Absolutely, phenomenally fantastic! It defies my attempts to say how good it was right now. But on last night's evidence, and the sarky comments in here (not you Alex!),some of you haven't got a clue. You're missing a treat!
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