Lincoln Center Presents MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST

MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST, an extraordinary music-theater collaboration based on the classic Chinese folktale "Journey to the West" from 1592, will open the 2013 Lincoln Center Festival, playing 27 performances throughout the festival from July 6 - 28 in the David H. Koch Theater. MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST is conceived and directed by internationally renowned opera and film director Chen Shi-Zheng, with music by Damon Albarn, lead singer of Blur, and design and animation by award-winning artistJamie Hewlett, who, with Albarn, created the virtual band Gorillaz.

MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST will be featured on local television and at a special live event at Lincoln Center this weekend: on Saturday, June 22, MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST creator Jamie Hewlett will participate in a discussion with New York Times journalist Dave Itzkoff at Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium at 11:00am; later that day - Saturday, June 22, MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST will be included in WABC's (channel 7) summer special "Destination: Summer" at 7:00pm - be sure to tune in for a sneak peek at this thrilling production; on Sunday, June 23, Nigel Redden, Director of Lincoln Center Festival, will be interviewed by Dana Tyler on WCBS' (channel 2) "Eye on New York" at 6:30am discussing MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST and other highlights of this year's Festival.

The exclusive conversation between Jamie Hewlett and Dave Itzkoff will be preceded by a screening of Hewlett's short film Monkey Bee, and followed by a screening of Monkey, the 1970s cult Japanese television series that helped inspire Damon Albarn andHewlett to create MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST. There will also be a sweepstakes to win signed MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST posters. Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium is located at 61 West 62st Street and Broadway. The program is free and open to the public, no ticket required.

A theatrical spectacle that has performed before sold-out audiences around the world, MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST is a vibrant musical retelling of the ancient Chinese folktale that follows the fantastical trek of the monk Tripitaka, who travels from China to India seeking the Buddhist sacred scriptures. Led by the irrepressible Monkey King on a journey through an enchanted world, the monk and his magical animal companions encounter a series of perilous and comic adventures and misadventures.

Equal parts epic music theater and stunning animation, this hugely successful production includes a remarkable cast of Chinese acrobats, singers, mind-bending contortionists, martial artists, and transfixing animated displays. Damon Albarn's score features washes of electronic sounds, brass fanfares, electronic percussion, and Chinese pop melodies. Jamie Hewlett's designs, animations, and eye-popping costumes are influenced by Japanese animé. And Chen Shi-Zheng's thrilling vision transforms classic Chinese martial arts, circus acts, dance and acrobatics. Together, the three collaborators bring a dazzling, boundary-breaking approach to this timeless Chinese epic.

MONKEY: JOURNEY TO THE WEST created a sensation when it premiered at the first Manchester International Festival in England in 2007. It was then performed at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris and at Spoleto Festival USA, followed by performances at the Royal Opera House in London.

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