Monkey King has been making mischief in books and plays for centuries in China. And he definitely lives up to his mischievous moniker in Northwest Puppet Center's production of Adventures of Monkey King – to the delight of my 5-year-old son and the rest of the young audience.
The show begins in the midst of a bamboo forest, where we watch Monkey hatch from a rock in which he had been trapped for 100 years. An extravagantly bearded hermit names him "the one who is aware of nothing" and teaches him to transform into other creatures (the only scary moment for the little ones seemed to be when he emerges as a tiger; even then, the puppeteers reassured the audience that soon enough he would change back into a monkey.) Fed up with monkey's antics, the meditating hermit sends him off to Fruit Flower Mountain to join a monkey clan, where he eventually becomes Monkey King and gets into all sorts of trouble with the Dragon King and Jade Emperor, who rules the heavens (and fittingly, perches atop a white cloud).
My 5-year-old seemed more entranced by the story and madcap battle scenes; my 8-year-old daughter was more taken by the exquisite sets and costumes. One of our favorites was an ocean scene with a gently rolling clam (which turns out to hold a girl inside) and an endearing octopus that moved just the way that we imagined a real one would move.
Adventures of Monkey King is very much a family affair, by Yang Family Puppets. Jen Yang, a sixth-generation puppeteer trained in China (and the first woman puppeteer in her family), performs with her husband, Dmitri Carter, a second-generation Seattle puppeteer. Yang's uncle and former puppet school classmate designed the puppets; her aunt made the eye-popping costumes. Carter and Yang's 9-year-old son, Francisco, helps out with some performances as well.
We had a pretty magical Oz-like moment when the puppeteers stepped out from behind the curtain and invited the audience to come up and meet the puppets. This seemed to be a highlight for many kids. The kids got to (gently) handle the puppets and ask the puppeteers questions. The short production, running just 45 minutes, is ideal for little ones. Snack offerings are available. If you want a coveted middle-aisle seat on the floor, be sure to show up early.
IF YOU GO
Where: Northwest Puppet Center, 9123 15th Ave. N.E., Seattle.
When: Saturdays and Sundays through March 20; performances are at 1 and 3 p.m.
Admission: Adults $10.50, seniors $9, children $8.50.
Contact: 206-523-2579; www.nwpuppet.org.
Lynn Schnaiberg is a Seattle writer with two mischievous monkeys of her own.
