Monkey: Journey to the West: 9/10

"In a mythical time, on the Mountain of Flower and Fruit," reads the synopsis, "there is a great stone. One day, the stone explodes, expelling an egg. The egg hatches, and Monkey comes into the world."

And I'm so glad he did.

There were no clouds. No shouts of "Pigsaaaaaaay!". And no singing of "Monkey Magic. Monkey Magic. Ooooh Monkey Magic..." Yet Monkey: Journey to the West is a thoroughly entertaining, imaginative and clever work of theatre, conceived by Chinese-born actor/choreographer/singer Chen Shi-Zheng; composed by Blur front man Damon Albarn; and designed by his Gorillaz collaborator, Jamie Hewlett.

Between them, they combine in Monkey Hewlett's cinematic animations with Chinese-language opera (try to sit to one side if you can, so that you don't have top keep turning your head to read the subtitles); dazzling (and sometimes airborne) choreography; and sweetly-sung opera.

If I have a criticism it is the uncomfortable seating at the outside tent where Monkey is performed (in what appears to be a disused car park at the O2); the extortionate prices of nibbles (that'll be £6 for a small bottle of water and a packet of Munchies!); and the fact that our simian hero scratches his nuts a little too frequently. If real, wild monkeys engage in such conduct as regularly, I'm, er, a Monkey's uncle.