As the Chinese New Year draws near, Guangzhou Acrobatic Arts Theater is set to captivate audiences with a new Chinese-style immersive acrobatic show, "Journey to the West: Awakening of Wukong." From February 1st to 5th, the show takes the stage at Guangzhou IN Theater, receiving high praise from the audience.

The narrative of the show unfolds before the famed exploits of Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), portraying his journey of over a decade seeking knowledge. After mastering mystical arts, Wukong's arrogance and ignorance lead to repeated setbacks. The storyline unfolds through Wukong's constant interactions and conflicts with others, gradually comprehending the essence of real growth.

The show transcends traditional audience-performer relationships. It extends the performance space, incorporating modern stage technologies with art forms like acrobatics, dance, special effects, and puppetry. The result is a visually stunning and sensorially immersive experience, immersing the audience in a romantic and fantastic world of myths.

In terms of stage design and costume styling, the show harmonizes modern aesthetics with Eastern charm, R&R with electronic music, and ACGN culture with contemporary Chinese styles, further enhancing the creativity of visual design and the impact of sensory experience, aiming to cultivate a love for acrobatic arts among young audiences and showcase the strength and beauty of Chinese acrobatics.

The production features nearly 20 types of awe-inspiring and highly challenging physical performances, including acrobatics on slack wires, rolling rings, swinging poles, and more. It interprets classic scenes such as the Seventy-Two Polymorphic Transformations, the Cloud Somersault, the Dragon Palace Heist, and the Uproarin Heaven. The adaptation breathes new life into these timeless tales, demonstrating the vast potential for the development of Guangzhou's acrobatic arts in the new era.

A notable highlight is the act of"Gymnastics on Vertically Moving Slack Wire," a gold medal-winning act from the Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe, previously honored with the prestigious "Golden Clown Award," the highest accolade in the world of acrobatics. Actor Tang Zhe, portraying Sun Wukong, has undergone over a decade of rigorous training, challenging the limits of human balance and mastering the art of performing intricate maneuvers on the slack wire. He is the owner of manysignificant acrobaticawards from home and abroad, including "the Presidential Prize of the French Republic," which is known as "the Oscars in Acrobatics",and"the Golden Chrysanthemum Award" from China Acrobatics Golden Chrysanthemum Awards Competition.

沉浸式杂技大秀《西游·悟空》在广州登场

龙年新春将至，广州本土文艺院团——广州市杂技艺术剧院创新推出全新国风沉浸式杂技大秀《西游·悟空》。2月1日-5日，该剧在广州IN剧场演出，备受观众好评。

该剧将时间线设定在孙悟空“成名”之前，讲述了孙悟空在拜师求学十几载，洞彻妙理、掌获神通之后，因盲目无知和张狂自大而屡屡受挫，在不停地与人相处和摩擦中逐渐认识自己，并领悟成长真谛的故事。

《西游·悟空》大秀打破了传统的观演关系，通过延伸剧场综合表演空间，融合多种现代舞台科技手段与杂技、舞蹈、特技动作、大木偶等艺术表演形式，打造出似真如幻的感官体验，使观众沉浸在浪漫奇幻的神话世界。

在舞美设计、服装造型上，《西游·悟空》将现代质感与东方韵味、摇滚电音、二次元国潮搭配碰撞，进一步增强视觉设计的创意性和感官体验冲击力，让更多年轻观众爱上杂技艺术，感受中国杂技的力与美。

全剧通过软钢丝、滚环、荡爬杆、蹬人、柔术等近20种超震撼、高难度的肢体表演，演绎七十二变、筋斗云、龙宫夺宝、大闹天宫等经典情节，让经典不再一成不变，展现新时代广州杂技发展的广阔空间，实现创造性转化和创新性发展。

值得一提的是，剧中采用的“升降软钢丝”为广州杂技团金奖节目，曾获世界杂技最高奖“金小丑”奖。饰演孙悟空的演员唐哲经过十几年的刻苦训练，不断挑战人体平衡极限，练成在软钢丝上完成多个高难度动作的绝技，也曾因此夺得素有“杂技界奥斯卡”之称的“法兰西共和国总统奖”、全国杂技比赛“金菊奖”等国内外重大奖项。

文 | 记者 黄宙辉 通讯员 邓燕磊
图 | 记者 贺全胜
视频拍摄、剪辑｜记者 贺全胜 王绮静 黎杰文
翻译｜麦芯羽