Night Clubs Reviews

Sep 25, 2005 - Reno's "Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu" great athletes, lavish show, snoozy theater

By Jack Neal

There are "Legends" and then there are legends. "Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu" is a lower-case legend. This lovely show is an absolute joy, for those into kung fu and myth-making stories designed to make an 80 minute mini-epic palatable if not fascinating.

The plot follows a young boy from promising boyhood to athletic manhood through eight semi-production numbers adorned with a lovely symphonic score composed by Zhing Bing, exotic sets by Han Lixun, Rembrandt lighting by Wang Ruiguo, and nicely draped costumes designed by Song Li that hang enticingly over compact, muscular bodies.

"They" used to shout:"The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!" And so they did (The Boshoi, The Russian National Orchestra, etctera, etcetera, etcetera) and, happily, never went home. Now it's the Chinese who are here and they are probably here to stay, too. They're very welcome. The ancient Chinese culture and the modern Chinese culture are marvelous adornments to international enrichment and understanding.

Beyond the stigma of cultural understanding the show does have its exciting moments: The kung fu moves - before sameness wrenches the psyche; and the ribbon flying between Chun Yi, the pure one, and a petite young woman (Eve, perhaps, to Chun Yi's Adam) which never ceases to thrill. The entire cast is charming and wants very much to please.

But wanting to please and having a show with the built-in entertainment values to consistently entertain is not what "Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu" is successful at pulling off.

With beautiful and sensitive staging, great gobs of disciplined kung fu moves delivered with military precision by a fabulously matched set of young men with shaved heads (there are but two women in the show), "Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu" is - like an exotically gorgeous woman - fabulous to watch, but alas - like an exotically gorgeous woman without a meaningful thought in her head - not intellectually stimulating enough for an 80 minute conversation - or show that entertains over the long haul.

Kudos, however, to Reno's Eldorado Hotel Casino for its daring booking the show. It's well worth experiencing. "The Legend of Kung Fu" is produced by China Heaven-Creation International Performing Arts Company, and is written and directed Su Shijin.

"Chun Yi: The Legend of Kung Fu" plays nightly at 7 p.m. except Mondays through January 1, 2006, at the Eldorado Hotel Casino, 345 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada, with an additional show Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. For information call 775-786-5700 or 800-648-5966 or go to the internet at www.eldoradoreno.com.