BEIJING, March 16 -- In China, everyone knows about the Monkey King, the smart, powerful monkey from the novel "Journey to the West," master of all kinds of magic tricks and Chinese kung fu. These skills are always popular with children.

A favorite in plays over the years, the fuzzy-haired hero faces a brand-new challenge of modern proportions in the latest children's play "Key to the Heavens."

Jointly produced by the Shanghai Children's Art Theater of the China Welfare Institute, Japan's Elm Theater Company and Korea's Naite Productions, the play will premiere tomorrow at the newly renovated Malan Flower Rehearsal Hall, the most popular children's theater in the city. Then it will tour Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul.

The new story by famous Japanese writer Yasuko Ono is set in a time when the earth faces more and more severe environmental problems: floods and earthquakes have become common threats to mankind. A devil spirit appears and wants to take over all the resources of the earth.

Children from China, Japan and South Korea, led by the Monkey King, decide to battle the evil forces to protect the earth. They join with famous cartoon characters from the three East Asian countries, such as the Japanese kappa, or mischievous water goblins, and South Korean forest elves. After many adventures, the Monkey King, the children and cartoon allies win the battle, find the "key to the heavens" and save the earth.

"The Monkey King is chosen as the main character of the play because he is considered a hero around the world," says Kaichi Sato, general director of the Elm Theater Company. "Environmental problems have become a global issue that everyone is worried about. I hope this play will help arouse children's concern on the environmental problems as well."

Eighteen actors from China, 10 from Japan and seven from South Korea, will take part in the play. To overcome language barriers, 13 songs have been composed to make the production more like a musical; they will be performed in different languages in different countries.

Exciting, powerful modern choreography has been added so that no one can get bored.

Large audio-visuals of floods, earthquakes, typhoons and tsunamis will be played and projected to make the scenes more vivid and realistic.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)