Soul of Shaolin
Encyclopedia
Soul of Shaolin was a theatrical event presented on Broadway
by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment to coincide with the celebration of the Lunar New Year
in January 2009. The first production from the People’s Republic of China ever to appear on Broadway, its story is told through a display of Chinese martial arts
, particularly Shaolin Kung Fu
, handed down through generations in the Shaolin Monastery, a Chán
Buddhist
temple at Song Shan near Dengfeng
in China
.
as part of the Beijing
arts festival. Following three previews, the Broadway production officially opened at the Marquis Theatre
on January 15, 2009 and ran for 21 performances. Featuring the Shaolin Temple Wushu Martial Artists, it was directed and choreographed by Liu Tongbiao and starred Yu Fei as Hui Guang as a young man, Zhang Zhigang as Na Luo, Wang Yazhi as Hui Guang's mother, and Bai Guojun as the abbot. The Broadway production has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
and the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
.
A North American tour of the production is scheduled to commence in Fall 2010.
y thrill of Hong Kong
action movies. But Soul of Shaolin ultimately seems a pretty cheap enterprise. The sets are mostly painted flats, and the music . . . is recorded. Much of it is schlocky; for long stretches it sounds as if someone loaded up the world’s most bombastic movie soundtracks on an iPod
and then pressed the shuffle button. The passages of more relaxed indigenous music come as a big relief. Unfortunately for the makers of Soul of Shaolin . . . the innumerable Cirque du Soleil
shows have set a far higher standard in terms of stagecraft . . . I seriously doubt Soul of Shaolin represents the best of Chinese culture."
Sam Thielman of Variety
called the production "a rushed, expertly trained assault that leaves you slightly confused afterward" and "a little weak on storytelling and variety." He added, "In the rare instances when the show communicates with utter clarity, it succeeds by speaking a universal language of one-upmanship and pratfalls . . . At the end of the day, however, you can get more precision from the Rockettes and you can get smarter Chinese action-comedy from a Stephen Chow
movie. Soul of Shaolin isn't a failure, exactly, but it doesn't hit its target often enough to be a success, either."
Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News rated it two out of five stars and commented, "To borrow from A Chorus Line
, Shaolin rates as follows - Martial arts: 10. Magic: 3 . . . Some kung-fu moves will make your head spin. When these performers launch into the air and whirl nearly horizontal to the ground, it's no Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
special effect. Unfortunately, cheesy sets and choppy staging choices undermine the highs. Lights and piped-in music don't seamlessly fade and bridge scenes. They slam off, like someone hitting the brakes to avoid a car crash. If you love martial arts and think Kill Bill
is high art, you might not mind."
Frank Scheck of the New York Post
gave the production three out of four stars and commented, "The impressive performers . . . 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 . . . 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."
Michael Kuchwara
of the Associated Press
called it "a striking mixture of sentiment and strength" and commented, "It is the demanding physicality in the show that counts. That movement celebrates an intense kind of discipline that borders on the spiritual and proves to be surprisingly sturdy Broadway entertainment."
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment to coincide with the celebration of the Lunar New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
in January 2009. The first production from the People’s Republic of China ever to appear on Broadway, its story is told through a display of Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
, particularly Shaolin Kung Fu
Shaolin kung fu
Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery.Of the multitude styles of kung fu and wushu, only some are actually related to Shaolin...
, handed down through generations in the Shaolin Monastery, a Chán
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
temple at Song Shan near Dengfeng
Dengfeng
Dengfeng is a county-level city in Zhengzhou, Henan province. In ancient times, it was known as Yangcheng .Dengfeng has an area of 1220 square kilometers and a population of 630,000....
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
Plot
The primary focus is on Hui Guang, who as an infant was separated from his mother when she hid him, together with a broken piece of jade identifying his origin, during a period of civil conflict. Discovered by Na Luo, the baby is brought to the temple and raised by the monks who live there. His education includes instruction in the ways of Shaolin Kung Fu and the daily practice of Kung Fu skills. In later years, Hui Guang encounters his mother, now begging on the streets to support herself, being molested by a gang of men. In the ensuing struggle to rescue her, he drops the piece of jade, which she recognizes and pockets. Hoping to find her son, she sneaks into the forest on the temple grounds, where she is captured by Hui Guang. Following an interrogation, it becomes clear who she is. Her request to take her son with her is denied by the abbot, who declares if Hui Gang wants to leave the temple, he must fight his way out, according to the rules require. He does so, and mother and son finally are reunited.Production
Soul of Shaolin originally was presented at the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
as part of the Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
arts festival. Following three previews, the Broadway production officially opened at the Marquis Theatre
Marquis Theatre
The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
on January 15, 2009 and ran for 21 performances. Featuring the Shaolin Temple Wushu Martial Artists, it was directed and choreographed by Liu Tongbiao and starred Yu Fei as Hui Guang as a young man, Zhang Zhigang as Na Luo, Wang Yazhi as Hui Guang's mother, and Bai Guojun as the abbot. The Broadway production has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event
The Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event was awarded from 2001 to 2009 to live theatrical productions that were not plays or musicals.The category was created after the 2000 controversy of Contact winning Best Musical; the show used pre-recorded music and featured no singing...
and the Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience
The Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience was created to honor those Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, and legitimate not-for-profit theater productions which, due to their unusual nature, cannot be categorized in the regular musical and play categories...
.
A North American tour of the production is scheduled to commence in Fall 2010.
Critical reception
Charles Isherwood of the New York Times observed, "The three performers who play the main character, Hui Guang, impress with their contortionist feats and physical prowess . . . The splashy all-monks-on-deck numbers combine the pop of a Broadway dance routine with the testosteroneTestosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
y thrill of Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
action movies. But Soul of Shaolin ultimately seems a pretty cheap enterprise. The sets are mostly painted flats, and the music . . . is recorded. Much of it is schlocky; for long stretches it sounds as if someone loaded up the world’s most bombastic movie soundtracks on an iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
and then pressed the shuffle button. The passages of more relaxed indigenous music come as a big relief. Unfortunately for the makers of Soul of Shaolin . . . the innumerable Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
shows have set a far higher standard in terms of stagecraft . . . I seriously doubt Soul of Shaolin represents the best of Chinese culture."
Sam Thielman of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the production "a rushed, expertly trained assault that leaves you slightly confused afterward" and "a little weak on storytelling and variety." He added, "In the rare instances when the show communicates with utter clarity, it succeeds by speaking a universal language of one-upmanship and pratfalls . . . At the end of the day, however, you can get more precision from the Rockettes and you can get smarter Chinese action-comedy from a Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow
Stephen Chow Sing-Chi is a Hong Kong actor, comedian, screenwriter, film director and producer.- Professional career :Stephen Chow began as a temporary actor for TVB. He entered TVB in early 1980s, and was trained there, although he had few opportunities to appear in films. Chow graduated from...
movie. Soul of Shaolin isn't a failure, exactly, but it doesn't hit its target often enough to be a success, either."
Joe Dziemianowicz of the New York Daily News rated it two out of five stars and commented, "To borrow from A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line
A Chorus Line is a 1975 musical about Broadway dancers auditioning for spots on a chorus line. The book was authored by James Kirkwood, Jr. and Nicholas Dante, lyrics were written by Edward Kleban, and music was composed by Marvin Hamlisch....
, Shaolin rates as follows - Martial arts: 10. Magic: 3 . . . Some kung-fu moves will make your head spin. When these performers launch into the air and whirl nearly horizontal to the ground, it's no Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film. An American-Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of ethnic Chinese actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen...
special effect. Unfortunately, cheesy sets and choppy staging choices undermine the highs. Lights and piped-in music don't seamlessly fade and bridge scenes. They slam off, like someone hitting the brakes to avoid a car crash. If you love martial arts and think Kill Bill
Kill Bill
Kill Bill Volume 1 is a 2003 action thriller film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the first of two volumes that were theatrically released several months apart, the second volume being Kill Bill Volume 2....
is high art, you might not mind."
Frank Scheck of the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
gave the production three out of four stars and commented, "The impressive performers . . . 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 . . . 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."
Michael Kuchwara
Michael Kuchwara
Michael Charlies Kuchwara was an American theater critic, columnist and journalist. Kuchwara worked as both a critic and journalist for the Associated Press for more than from 1984 until 2010, writing pieces that were read worldwide...
of the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
called it "a striking mixture of sentiment and strength" and commented, "It is the demanding physicality in the show that counts. That movement celebrates an intense kind of discipline that borders on the spiritual and proves to be surprisingly sturdy Broadway entertainment."