Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, creators of the "cartoon pop band" Gorillaz
, have been working on an opera based on Journey to the West. A preview of a documentary about it is available on the Gorillaz fan site.One of the best things about the Journey to the West story (aka Monkey: Folk Novel of China
) is all the different versions it has appeared in. Being British and of a certain age, Hewlett mentions the famous Monkey Magic TV show so popular in the UK and Commonwealth countries as an inspiration.Anyone looking for an introduction to the Journey to the West story would do well to start off with the newly published The Monkey and the Monk
, the abridged version of Anthony Yu's complete translation.
2 comments:
I'd pay to see that!
The other great thing about Monkey is that it's so damn long that there's always something that hasn't been adapted to your chosen medium. Recently.
Although I guess he'll have to at least keep the basics -- meeting the companions, etc.
According to the new issue of Wired Magazine, "the high-concept opera chronicles a globe-trotting primate's evolution from street chimp to enlightened hero."
I believe it's coming to Tokyo, too....
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