Chun Yi at the Coliseum - Review

Monday 10 August 2009 at 5:53 pm A group of instructors from Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy saw Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu. Following the performance and a few cocktails at Browns, these are their thoughts.
Chun Yi is the latest production to come to London from the East, where over two million Chinese have seen it in the last five years. It is the story of a young boy overcoming his fears and ego, on his lifetime journey from initiate to Shaolin master. A large cast of dancers and kung fu practitioners perform an acrobatic and theatrical display to accompany the narrated story.
A statement is made from the beginning that spectacle is in store, with the staging and lighting that is used to kick off proceedings. Throughout the performance, the producers throw many modern theatrical tropes on to the stage to produce something unlike any martial arts show you are likely to have seen. The first big reaction from the crowd came from the tumbling of the young monks that are always a feature of a Shaolin style show. In this case, the crowd was especially entertained by the somersaulting from feet to head to feet to head… Another big hit follows a martial training sequence, where the monks rapidly jump over a hole in the floor, to disappear in very quick succession.
The usual tricks are shown, pulling no punches with the traditional repertoire of stunts, regardless of how elbowed into the plot. In this case through the need for Chun Yi to show remorse by lying on nails, bending spears at his throat, breaking and taking a sledgehammer blow (via a concrete block and a fellow monk). He finishes with metal bars striking his head, but they don’t seem to slow him down. Of course, there is also a demonstration of animal styles such as Mantis, Monkey and Snake. One may wonder if Duck and Frog were slightly repulsively added just for Western entertainment. The martial secrets of the duck were well hidden.
The most striking aspect of the story is the portrayal of the Shaolin masters as warriors of peace, in the martial arts tradition of non-violent violence. This aspect is emphasized throughout. In addition, the musical style and the spiritual journey are grounded by use of the Muyu Gong, a Shaolin instrument that is used to accompany the action and as a meditative device.
Chun Yi goes through a period of turmoil when his mother dies. He is pushed and pulled between his spiritual teaching and the secular life he left, symbolized by a scarf, his only remaining possession from his youth. His training partners are present to help him through this body blow, as they are for all his trials, from when he is first left at the monastery by his mother.
There is a sequence of moves that a Tai Chi audience would recognize with a presentation of Cloud Hands segueing into speedy kung fu techniques. Just to make the point, they wore lovely cloud-like costumes, in keeping with the attention to detail throughout the staging and costuming.
The Coliseum is an impressive venue for an entertaining family night out.

– Wu's Tai Chi Chuan Academy