In East Asia, “Journey to the West” has taken on many kinds, very similar to the shape-shifting simian himself: Chinese operas, comics, animated and live-action movies and TV collection, video video games. Here, it doesn’t get as a lot airtime. If somebody had been to attempt to put Monkey on a Western operatic stage, it’s not stunning that will be Cerise Lim Jacobs, founding father of Boston-based White Snake Projects, whose penchant for mythology and maximalism is well-documented.
I used to be optimistic going into “Monkey,” which incorporates a libretto by the Singapore-born Jacobs and music by Mexican-American composer Jorge Sosa. The two collaborated on 2019′s “I Am a Dreamer who No Longer Dreams,” a poignant and solely barely heavy-handed story of two contrasting American immigrant experiences. My optimism was largely justified. All the components had been current for a White Snake success; a mythic story with episodes of humor and profundity, a number of methods to inform that story, and (as regular) a powerful slate of singers, with Liu completely forged because the mischievous Monkey.
If something, the trail of this “Journey” was somewhat too easy. Monk (tenor Dylan Morrongiello), who has been tasked with retrieving a set of sutras, gathers three disciples — first Monkey, then the repentant duo of Zhu and Sha (bass John Paul Huckle and mezzo-soprano Maria Dominique Lopez), a perpetually hungry pig and a mournful sand spirit respectively. At each juncture, numerous demons attempt to tempt them from their activity, represented on this opera by the shape-shifting Mara the Demon Queen (a delightfully campy Carami Hilaire). With the facility of friendship and the assistance of Guan Yin, the deus-ex-machina of mercy (Cristina María Castro), they full the journey.
The unique novel places Monkey and firm via dozens of trials earlier than they attain their vacation spot. Here, that’s condensed to 4; save for one very efficient sequence that includes youngsters’s choir VOICES Boston, these sequences largely forewent the epic’s commentary about human nature whereas emphasizing utopian morality play-like classes. “It’s a metaphor for life in this world!” Castro reeled off in spectacular coloratura at one level. Not like this, it isn’t. As it stated on the duvet, it’s a parable.
That stated, as marketed, it’s a parable with puppets, and people had been unassailable. Stage director Roxanna Myrhum has a protracted resume in puppetry, and her experience was an asset. Designed by Tom Lee and Chicago Puppet Studio, the puppets representing Monkey, Zhu, and Sha had been beautiful and visually dynamic. Principal puppeteers Carlos José Torres López (Monkey), Nathaniel Justiniano (Zhu), and Angela Guo (Sha) had been exquisitely attuned to the contours of Sosa’s music and the vocal inflections and mannerisms of the singer representing every character. At instances, Morrongiello was the one singing character on the entrance of the stage, however the sound steadiness was well-controlled, and the puppets appeared fantastically alive because of the work of the cross-disciplinary groups behind them.
Sosa’s rating was agile and entertaining, as befits such a journey. High factors included the seductive gradual quantity sung by Hilaire as Mara in her guise as a hostess in a technicolor housecoat, a chilling sequence that includes Lopez as Sha’s humanity is examined, and a crackling vocal duel between Guan Yin and Mara that even the libretto’s clunkiest passage couldn’t completely sink. (“The critics will complain” concerning the lengthy phrases, Jacobs playfully predicted in the course of the post-show discuss again. It’s not about avoiding lengthy phrases; it’s about utilizing syllables that sound good when sung. She’s getting there step-by-step.) Tianhui Ng was within the pit conducting a small chamber ensemble with a number of digital enhancements, which gave the rating a largely clear and plush learn with a number of threadbare spots.
The single-page program guide didn’t embrace a number of members of the artistic crew, whom I raced to lookup as quickly as my telephone was turned on. Chris Carcione designed the present’s many projections. The easy however hanging units got here from Andreea Mincic, and costumes had been from Kristen Connolly, whom I hope had as a lot enjoyable designing seems for Mara as Hilaire had whereas sporting them.
Soloist Lawrence Chen appeared underutilized, particularly within the closing battle, which appeared to dispense with puppets and human dancers in favor of . . . one thing unclear occurring onstage whereas 3D animated variations of the disciples whirled and scrapped with invisible enemies on each projection display screen the stage might spare. It induced the identical psychological static as making an attempt to look at a kind of TikToks with two movies taking part in on the similar time. If they didn’t attempt to do an excessive amount of at one level, wouldn’t it even be a White Snake present?
MONKEY: A KUNG FU PUPPET PARABLE
At Emerson Paramount Center, Sept. 22.
A.Z. Madonna could be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @knitandlisten.
