Monkey - Journey to the West at

Monkey - Journey To The West re-tells the 400 year-old tale for a new audience. This production is a triumph of collaboration - between old and new, sight and sound, East and West, bringing together traditional disciplines - acrobatics, singing, dancing - with emphatically modern technology including animation and dazzling video projections.

In a mythical time, on the Mountain of Flower and Fruit, Monkey was hatched from a stone egg. So begins the tale of the Monkey King, our headstrong, self-important hero. After crossing the all-powerful Buddha, Monkey is given the opportunity to redeem himself by travelling to India with the young monk Tripitaka to bring the Holy Scriptures back to China. Accompanied by a motley crew of helpers, the pair meet and overcome terrific challenges, finally returning with the sacred texts. Despite its playful, bawdy tone and colourful characters the story of Monkey is deeply serious in intent. 

The show was conceived and created by the Chinese actor and director Chen Shi-zheng, together with the British musician Damon Albarn and British artist Jamie Hewlett (the co-creators of the virtual band Gorillaz).

Following a summer of Monkey in the 2008 Olympics and a sold-out season at London's Royal Opera House in July, Monkey: Journey to the West  has a  new home at the show is being performed at Monkey's World, a specially designed theatre built exclusively to host the opera at the O2.