Bruce Lee: The Musical

[arnisador]

Fighting (and Dancing) Like Bruce Lee

For the Play ‘Kung Fu,’ Choreographing Combat

Mr. Loeb was rehearsing the finale of “Kung Fu,” the new play by David Henry Hwang about the martial arts master Bruce Lee that is now in previews at Signature, where it opens on Monday.The choreographer Sonya Tayeh asked Mr. Loeb, one of Lee’s adversaries, if he was O.K. “I think so,” he replied. (He was.) The next few minutes were spent finding a better way for him to fall — or to be thrown, really — and the short episode highlighted the complexities of making stage fighting look real to an audience while remaining safe for the performers. The process, which that day included several other tweaks to address the twin concerns of safety and verisimilitude, is grueling. It can take hours of rehearsal to create just a few minutes of fast-paced stage time.

“Kung Fu,” which traces Lee’s life from the age of 18 until a few years before his death at 32, draws on the skills of Cole Horibe in the lead role. He is most recognizable to audiences from the television competition show “So You Think You Can Dance”; he was a contestant in Season 9 of the series, and became known for his “martial arts fusion” style.

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Take a Punch, Hope for a Hit

In ‘Rocky,’ Andy Karl Trained Hard for the Title Role

Andy Karl[...]is opening on Broadway as a lead in a new musical for the first time in his career. The show is “Rocky” — the Italian Stallion, you may remember, likes to train by pounding beef — and he is playing Rocky.

 

[Xue Sheng]

ummm...aaaaa.....yeah well you know.....I......aaaaaa.... alrighty then...glad we had this little talk......gotta go

 

[clfsean]

Yeah... pretty certain I've gotta case of :barf: concerning this...

 

[Takai]

Umm....Errrr....Yeah....I gotta go wash the dog and feed the dishes. Later.