Kung Fu – theatrical stage play at Signature Theatre 42nd Street
March 9th, 2014 by Mr. C
(Set in KUNG FU – Bruce Lee’s Jun Fan Kwoon)
(Cole Horibe as Bruce Lee – lobby at Signature Theatre)
We caught Kung Fu, the theatrical performance at Signature Theatre on 42nd street last week and was pretty impressed with the production of this charming little off Broadway play. Kung Fu is the story of Bruce Lee’s journey from his motherland Hong Kong to the United States on his quest of bettering his life while living the American dream as an up and coming martial artist, movie star, dad, & husband despite encountering hurdles such as his skin color and memories of his dad. This stage play was dynamic as the man himself blending drama, martial arts, theatre, chinese opera, and dance. It was almost like Fame with Kung Fu. The setting of the play ranged from 1940’s Hong Kong to 1960/1970s Seattle, Los Angeles, and then back to Hong Kong. Without giving out too much detail, the story centered on Bruce’s inner demons with his dad which ultimately provided the inspiration to do what he does but also provide much heartache and dysfunction in himself. While I’m not a Bruce Lee historian nor expert – this was the first time that I’ve seen the story play out with Bruce’s conflict with his father in this fashion. The storyline brought much over dramatical flashbacks scenes with Bruce and his father while on the opposite spectrum the scenes in his Seattle Kung Fu Kwoon, Hollywood, and his home brought much comedic relief. The acts with James Coburn played by an African American player was hilarious. The cast in general was strong as bull but free flowing as water. Many of the cast members had multiple roles in the play and it was quite a sight as each act was intensely demanding with drama, dance, and martial arts. As for the Bruce Lee role, I thought player – Cole Horibe did a tremendous job. First off, his slender but muscular physique was very akin to Bruce as was his confidence and cockiness. Cole’s hybrid martial arts and dance was very flowing and convincing. The linguistics and accent was a little bit overbearing and over-done I thought but I may be nit-picking. The ‘Kung Fu’ performance overall was entertaining and exhilarating though I do think the story plays better to an audience that is quite familiar with Lee’s background. Otherwise, those not in the know might find themselves trying to do research after the fact. If you can grab seats for $25, it is well worth your time. KUNG FU plays through April 3rd at Signature Theatre.
The Pershing Square Signature Center
480 West 42nd Street
New York, NY
(Center-Cole Horibe as Bruce Lee; Left-Francis Jue as Bruce Lee’s father; right-Phoebe Strole as Linda Lee)
Tags: bruce lee, kung fu, theatre
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