For centuries, the epic tale of the Monkey King’s journey of enlightenment has been an omnipresent part of Chinese culture, delighting young and old with its heady mix of adventure, mystery and magic. For MIF07, East met West in Monkey: Journey to the West, a new production that reinvented the legend with a thrilling combination of music and action. Bringing together the chart-topping Gorillaz team of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett with Chinese director Chen Shi-Zheng and a vast cast of actors, acrobats and musicians from China and Europe, Monkey made for a dazzling opening to the first ever Manchester International Festival.

Designed and created by the Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris in co-production with Manchester International Festival and the State Opera House, Berlin (Staatsoper Unter den Linden).