Fans of Chinese martial arts novels will love it. Fans of acrobatic arts will adore it. The Legendary Swordsman by Guangzhou Acrobatic Arts Theatre that stunned everyone in the Thunder Dome of Muang Thong Thani last weekend has proven a perfect combination of the acrobatic and martial arts.
The show is a large-scale acrobatic drama based on a Chinese classic fiction of the same title by Hong Kong's notable martial arts novelist Louis Cha, popularly known by his pseudonym Jin Yong. He penned a total of 15 wuxia novels, depicting a world of martial arts, honour and chivalry, from 1955 to 1972. He is now 94.
Also called The Smiling, Proud Wanderer in some translations and widely known as Dej Kampee Thevada among Thai readers, the original masterpiece was written in the late 1960s before it was adapted into a TV series and films multiple times over the past 40 years and many of them have become all-time favourites for both Chinese and Thai audiences alike.
This is probably why the Guangzhou-based multiple award-winning theatre troupe has chosen to breathe new life into this novel and brought their creation to delight the Thai audience.
The show is full of breathtaking stunts. Photos courtesy of BEC-TERO ENTERTAINMENT
Their acrobatic theatre adaptation, however, comes with a very concise plot that is centred around the conflict between good and evil and recounted through five acts, with the focus on five main characters.
Linghu Chong is a disciple of the righteous Mount Hua sect headed by Yue Buqun who later expels him from the sect. However, Yue's lust for the seizure of Mallow Journal, the much coveted manuscript of martial techniques, now in the hands of the Evil Party leader Invincible Orient, leads to the deadliest war.
Unable to bear the miserable sight of the massacre of their comrades, Linghu and his love interest Ren Yingying, daughter of Ren Woxing (former leader of the Evil Party who was ousted from power by his usurper Invincible Orient) join hands to defeat his former master. They also put Invincible Orient to death and destroy the Mallow Journal.
I believe that what first pops up in our heads when talking about Chinese acrobatic shows must be the pictures of sturdy performers executing dangerous and hard-to-believe manoeuvres that push the limits of their physical ability.
Of course, this sensational show is full of such similar feats.
We saw all kinds of acrobatic spectacles mastered by about 40 performers, from contortionists to chair balancing, from aerial hoop acts to aerial sling, from pole climbing to high-wire balancing, not to mention all sorts of somersaults atop static and moving bamboo rods and also on a trampoline.
It might be a bit confusing for some who couldn't catch up with the brief summary that ran on two big screens in the hall at the beginning of the five acts to fully understand the meaning behind the acrobatic sequences. But that didn't matter as we seemed to enjoy the exciting action that kept challenging our senses throughout the 90 minutes.
Honestly, it's hard for me to decide which scene I like most in this show. But I was really impressed with the slack wire act performed by the super strong protagonist, Linghu, who was seen reclining comfortably on the wire as if he was in a hammock. The very same performer also amazed us with his smooth and gracious way to spiral up the metal pole using only his powerful hands while keeping his body straight and still along the way as if he was weightless.
Still vivid on my mind is the tavern scene in which the table he and his drinking companion were sitting at was lifted up the floor by four cables before it was tilted by 90 degrees on all four sides, one by one, and finally overturned, causing the duo to challenge the law of gravity on their own.
However, this production didn't keep us on the edge of our seats the entire time. What brought us a relaxing and entertaining feeling at the same time was the way the show seamlessly fused scenes of drama, theatre, folk art dance and Cantonese folk music.
Coupled with the superb special effects, excellent lighting, elaborate costumes and extravagant stage sets, this is a one-of-a-kind delight that I think deserves a second viewing.
Six more performances of The Legendary Swordsman by Guangzhou Acrobatic Arts Theatre will be staged today to Sunday at 2pm and 7pm. Tickets cost 700, 900, 1,200 and 1,500 baht. Visit thaiticketmajor.com.
