Running the Silk Road

........presents for 5 days only 17 - 21 June 2008

Running The Silk Road - part of the City of London Festival. Sponsored by CHINA NOW

Nightly at 7:45pm + matinees on Wednesday and Saturday.

In the year of the Beijing Olympics, a group of friends from London set themselves an epic challenge - to run the ancient Silk Road trading route to China, carrying an “alternative” Olympic flame. Once on the road, complications and conflicts test friendships and soon threaten their chances of success.

Running the Silk Road, a new play by Olivier nominated writer Paul Sirett, draws on many of the myths contained in a classic 2,000 year old Chinese text The Classic of Mountains and Seas. These stories, telling of flood and drought and warning of the destruction of the Earth, are interspersed throughout the modern text and will be performed in Mandarin Chinese (with surtitles) by the spectacular, acrobatic Beijing Opera performers from China.

See the rehearsal video

The cast of Running the Silk Road includes Saraj Chaudhry; Betsabeh Emran and Nick Chee Ping Kellington.

Director David Tse Ka-Shing, director of Yellow Earth since 1995 and winner of a Windrush Arts Award, studied Beijing Opera movement with Lee Siu Wah and with Jamie Guan for the West End production of M. Butterfly. David’s extensive credits include a bilingual China / UK King Lear for the RSC Complete Works festival, the Shanghai International Festival, the UK Arts Festival in Chongqing and UK national tour; as well as a bilingual Hong Kong / UK production of The Nightingale for the Hong Kong Arts Festival and UK tour. David has also presented a groundbreaking series on the lives of British Born Chinese for BBC Radio 4.

Paul Sirett is a playwright and dramaturg. His most recent production was the Olivier Award nominated musical The Big Life, which transferred from the Theatre Royal Stratford East to London’s West End. Other productions include: A Night in Tunisia, Worlds Apart, Crusade, Jamaica House (all Theatre Royal Stratford East, London); Rat Pack Confidential (Nottingham Playhouse, Bolton Octagon & London West End); Lush Life (Live Theatre, Newcastle) and Skaville (Soho Theatre, London).

Running the Silk Road is designed by Yoon Bae with music composed by Suki Mok and lighting design by Douglas Kuhrt.

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What Flea thought of it

........by our performing arts reviewer

Catch it if you can in London, time is running out !!!

I had the pleasure of attending one of the few performances of Running the Silk Road last week at Watford Palace Theatre. What an impressive and colourful affair, with so much packed into 90 minutes.

Yellow Earth Theatre Company are a small and intimate bunch. Their acrobatics looked amazing with some of the moves happening so quickly, I felt almost dizzy. Each of the performers made it look so easy and slick, effortlessly gliding across the stage - truly skilled and performing live!!

If I’m honest, I wasn’t entirely sure how combining operatics, acrobatics and subtitles would work on a small stage, but it did and worked very well at the Palace Theatre. I was pleasantly surprised.

Shen Feng was my absolute favourite acrobat, he can protect my honour anytime. Saraj Chaudhry was a hoot, keeping us entertained whenever he appeared. The most comical and engaging character was the lead role who was running the silk road, played by Nick Chee Ping. There was so much humour and character building in addition to the acrobatics to keep us entertained, young and old alike seemed to enjoy the evening as much as me.

Aside from the beautiful costumes and visual delights, the show had a definite edge of individuality. It is cleverly written and produced to ensure we really got to know the people involved in such a brief encounter. I enjoyed being taken on their journey with them and particularly liked how the characters were individually portrayed.

It is a heart warming tale of people from all walks of life - but with a strong central message that determination brings success. In our lives and loves, a mentality of “quitters never win, winners never quit” is as important today as it has always been. This show provided a truly memorable reminder!

I was delighted to receive the full text of the play as a press night reviewer and will enjoy reading it again at my leisure. It’s disappointing that I won’t then have the acrobats in front of me second time around, but the amazing images planted in my mind during this performance will long be remembered and visualized.

If you’ve missed this show at the Watford Palace, then check www.yellowearth.org for more information about further performances from this wonderfully talented group

If you’re quick, you may yet be able to see this magnificent adventure at The Pit, Barbican Centre. Tel: 0207 638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk

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