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Scene of young Sai Yuk receiving a lesson from his mother on how to practice martial arts. [Photo provided to Chinaculture.org]
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Elaborate musical Kung Fu Hero was staged at the Miller Outdoor Theatre in Houston on Sept 20 and 21 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-US diplomatic relations. It attracted about 5,000 viewers, a record of the season.
The Broadway-themed musical, presented bilingually in Mandarin and English, told the story of Fong Sai Yuk, a famous Chinese kung fu master in the late Qing Dynasty. It featured spectacular martial arts scenes and dance performance, as well as video display. Although none of the performers were professional actors, the musical was greeted warmly and became the most popular show during the 2014 season.
Burton Wolfe, president and artistic director of Worldwide Stage Inc. in Houston, wrote the lyrics and directed the show, while Dr Scott Gehman created the music and orchestration. Wang Yingbin was responsible for translating while Shi Xinghao worked as the martial arts consultant. Burton Wolfe is in deep love with Chinese culture, having created and staged a few China-themed musicals with American style. He has built a bridge between American audience and Chinese culture, as he knows how to cater for Americans’ aesthetic tastes are and how to tell Chinese stories in a vivid way.
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