Monkey: The Musical

Hewlett and Albarn talk about new project

29 May 07 - Gorillaz collaborators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett have reunited to make a musical.

As announced at the March launch of the Manchester International Festival, the pair are working on a musical based on the cult 80s tv show, Monkey.

The series, which ran on the BBC, is based on a 16th Century Chinese myth. It follows hero Monkey's journey to India to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Illustrator Jamie, who created the musical's set design, proudly admitted the programme was a personal favourite:

"We grew up on that. That was our Friday night: school was finished, watch Monkey. That was burnt on my brain from an early age. I remember those characters so clearly."

Rehearsals for Monkey: Journey To The West are ongoing in Paris. The production features a Chinese orchestra and acrobats and will be sung entirely in Mandarin. Damon, who composed the music for the work just months after the release of his Good, The Bad & The Queen collaborative project, says the musical has stretched him creatively:

"I has a system and it was 'semi automatic music'. That's when I started getting really exciting about this opera. I started writing arias through this; that was the turning point. That's were I made the critical shift you have from being a songwriter to a composer."

Monkey: Journey To The West will be premiere at Manchester International Festival which opens on 28 June.

Jacqueline Springer