Bruce Lee played by female
When Bruce Lee was born, his mother gave him a girl's name to disguise him from evil spirits. When actor/performing artist Soomi Kim learned this surprising fact, she felt destined to create a theatre performance inhabiting the incomparable martial arts superstar. Soomi created Lee/gendary, a theatrical deconstruction of an icon; a spiritual and psychological examination of Lee's life from birth to death. This unique gender-bending theatre performance fluidly integrates text, live original music, video and an explosive hybrid of martial arts and dance. Lee/gendary will run at HERE Theater in NYC, Tuesdays Wednesdays, Thursdays in October. Dates: 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 30 at 8pm on the Mainstage. 145 6th Avenue (between Spring and Broome, entrance on Dominick)
Lee/gendary's efforts are the result of a dedicated collaboration with Kim. This group of talented artists includes: Derek Nguyen (playwright, NYFA recipient, author of full length play Monster, produced by East West Players), Suzi Takahashi (director, artistic director of performance group, Ex.p Girl) and Jen Shyu (composer, instrumentalist and vocalist with Steve Coleman's Five Elements) with additional recorded music by Adam Rogers (acclaimed composer/guitarist). This piece features Kim as Lee as well as 5 other actor/martial artists.
Lee/gendary was first presented at HERE's The American Living Room Festival 2006 as a work-in-progress, directed by David Perry with fight choreography by Rafael Kayanan (The Hunted and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind).