“My intention was to cast actors regardless of their ethnicity because I believe human experience is not exclusive but rather transcendental in nature,” writes Chen. When the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter’s pre-recorded voice soars as the company takes its bows, their lack of vocal prowess is that much more evident. Clarity won’t bring life to the score, though, which features hefty contributions by Sia. It doesn’t help that Brandon Wolcott’s sound design offers a simultaneously muddy and tinny amplification of spoken dialogue and song. It is in these moments - sometimes ritualistic and meditative and at others fiercely dynamic and athletic - that Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise finds its footing.īut even with the entire company of 20 performers on stage, The McCourt feels ghostly. In addition to its many head-scratching incongruities, Chen’s globally assembled company is a jack-of-all-trades but master of none, except for their execution of Akram Khan’s movement choreography and Zhang Jun martial arts choreography. Set designer Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams has created an environment that looks more like Krypton than Queens, with suspended panels of fabric, a lone metal staircase to nowhere, and a multi-level stage that looks like a topographic map. In the second act (with mother and daughter resurrected) the siblings are now teenagers practicing martial arts under different tutelage, eventually reuniting to do battle against their father and save the world - from what, we never really know. Presented in two acts, Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise follows a marriage gone awry when Doug attempts to murder Lone Peak’s daughter (PeiJu Chien-Pott) and one of their twin babies so he can become master of this mystical world (otherwise known as Flushing, Queens). That mainstream commercial sensibility undermines the core of Chen’s concept by turning the work into theme park fodder. Courtesy The Shed.)Ĭhen’s work features additional contributions by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, co-writers and producers of family-friendly films such as TROLLS and the Kung Fu Panda series. I recommend seeing it – even if only to get to see the inside of The Shed.PeiJu Chien-Pott with members of the chorus in ‘Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise.’ (Photo: Stephanie Berger. But it will only thrive if social media is made part of the equation – and the ticket pricing is way out of line. It’s somewhere between a Cirque show, a kung fu movie, and a made-for-Instagram spectacle. I think this is a new style of theatrical performance. I had a great time – it would have been better if I could have Instagrammed it. However, I believe if social media posts were not only allowed but encouraged, the theater would be packed. On Saturday afternoon, the theater was two-thirds empty, which is shocking. Provide hashtags, make it interactive – it’s the only way to get the word out on the show for its intended audience. Photography (without flash) has to be allowed. Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise is a new kind of theatrical experience that begs to be Instagrammed. The biggest problem I had with this show is their ban on photography. We were in the third row, but I would have been just as happy to be back 20 rows for half the price. It’s a small theater with good sightlines from all seats. My trainer got tickets for $25 for this upcoming weekend. However, there are cheaper tickets available. We paid full price for our tickets which at $104 per person, is way too expensive. I am a big fan of under 2-hour performances, and this one comes in at around 100 minutes (with one short intermission), which is perfect. It’s by Tim Yip of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame. The Staging and Art direction are visually stunning! It’s not comparable to a show like Hamilton, but it is entertaining, the visuals are breathtaking, and for me, it carried as much heft as any of the Disney blockbusters I’ve seen on Broadway, e.g., Lion King. I’m not a cognoscente of the martial arts so I may not understand the nuances of some of the narrative, but I got enough of the story that it made sense to me.Īnd it’s not a complicated story. Like a ritual, this communal experience is a new kind of musical theater.” The director describes it as “ a saga that combines spirituality, animism, and human emotion to explore generational shifts of culture and ideas. It provides a contemporary theatrical experience What I would do to drive up attendance for the balance of its run (thru July 27).I’m going to break it down into three main points: The NYTimes loathed it – not sure if that’s because they love to hate anything associated with Hudson Yards or if the reviewer (Jesse Green) just believed it was that awful. It’s a new kind of musical but ultimately more of an Instagram experience than a Broadway show.
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