Soul of Shaolin Kicks Butt

1/20/09 - By Anna Fader

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Soul of Shaolin is a spectacular performance by the troupe that opened the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the first production from the People's Republic of China to Ever appear on Broadway. Part circus, part martial arts demonstration and part Peking Opera, held together by a simple—and not entirely necessary—plot, Shaolin is one amazing feat of acrobatics after another, with swords flashing, spears rattling and a little dancing thrown in.

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But, there is no real violence in Soul of Shaolin. While the actors do pretend to fight each other at some points in the show, it's highly stylized and heavily choreographed. I took a skeptical five-year-old who would only attend under the condition that we leave the moment the show became scary. Not only did we not leave, but he was on the edge of his seat through the whole thing, watching in wide eyed amazement as the performers did traditional Kung Fu routines, like the monkey dance and the dragon dance.

Highlights of the show are the phenomenal stunts these Shaolin-trained masters perform through incredible strength, control and discipline: a boy who spins on his head, a man who can through a needle through a piece of glass with his bare hands, each stunt more impressive than the last.

There is no dialog during the show and only a few brief moments of narration, which is in English, so the all Chinese cast has no trouble getting the story across the same here as they did in Shanghai where the show was originally developed. The plot is simple, the music a little over the top and the stage manager is very fond of his fog machine, but tif you can take all that in stride, you'll love it. This is a great place to take any kid who is into Jet Li, Jackie Chan or even Kung Fu Panda or who is into martial arts themselves or anyone who loves he circus.

Soul of Shaolin runs through January 31 and our show was completely sold out, so buy your tickets now. Tickets start at $48 and there are no children's ticket prices, so it's not cheap, but definitely worth if it you are looking for a special outing for Lunar New Year or any occasion.

FInd out more about the show and buy tickets here.