Richard Oberacker and Robert Taylor set themselves a difficult task in creating a musical based on a legendary Chinese spiritual quest fable, incorporating martial arts, Kabuki, modern dance, vaudeville, puppetry, sculpture, masks, sword fighting, and acrobatics. While their admirable effort has all the elements that could spell success, plus a top-notch cast and four talented musicians, the final product never quite gels.
Demigod Jiang-Lai is reincarnated as a young monk who must journey in search of sacred wisdom scrolls to redeem humankind before reuniting with his female counterpart, Kuan-Yin, in eternity. Rather than trust the power of this age-old epic and its universal themes of salvation, love, and redemption to engage contemporary audiences, as did Peter Brooks' superb Mahabharata, its creators have attempted to broaden its appeal by adorning costumes with world religious symbols, adding offhand modern humor -- the Monkey King asks Kuan-Yin if she is "having a bad hair day" -- and fusing its rich, haunting, Asian-influenced score with rock, hip-hop, calypso, world music, and Broadway-hit sound-alikes. The result: a hip, multicultural mishmash that runs long and implodes.
As Jiang-Lai/Riversong and Kuan-Yin, the boyish Steven Booth and the stunning Angela Ai, both talented singer-actors, lack sexual chemistry. Lyrics compare them to the mythological consorts Shiva and Shakti, but they seem more like close friends. As Monkus, the multitalented W. Wong struggles valiantly to execute all his comic business, choreography, acrobatics, martial arts, and singing; if the director and choreographer scaled back, he could relax into and enjoy his role. Supporting-cast standouts are the supremely talented David Girolmo (Hou-Lai), even though he sings the same song repeatedly; Ann Matthews, in her whatever-Lola-wants Spider Queen seduction number; and Kevyn Morrow as Buddha. John Rager's and Duncan Morrison's props, Kevin Frisch's puppets, and Elizabeth Cox's costumes beautifully express the show's ageless spiritual themes.
Presented by New Voice Theatre as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival
at 37 Arts Theatre, 450 W. 37th St., NYC.
Sept. 25-Oct. 1.