A RETELLING of one of China's most legendary stories will visit Taunton's Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre on the day of Chinese New Year.
Local theatregoers will be able to bring in the year of the Tiger by watching 'The Ballad of Mulan' on Tuesday, February 1 at 7:30pm.
'The Ballad of Mulan' is based on the legendary female warrior who disguised herself as a man to join the Emperor's army.
She became a warrior and fighter who survived for 10 years in the male-dominated army without being discovered.
Her story has inspired two Disney films: A 1998 animated classic, and 2020's live-action version.
Theatregoers are warned not to expect "a fluffy Disney tale" with this "visceral" and "gritty" production.
The production has been written by West Country playwright Ross Ericson, and Mulan will be played by British-born Chinese actress Michelle Yim.
The show will be produced by Red Dragonfly Productions, which has made East Asian stories accessible to British and international audiences since 2014.
When the pandemic struck, the productions company was left stranded in Australia while on tour.
Yorkshire-born performer and producer Yim said: "It has been a difficult two years for live performances.
"We've all tried to adapt and survive.
"But the connection with and the atmosphere of the audience in a live setting is totally different from a digital set-up, so we are very excited and grateful to be performing in front of a live audience again."
Dorset-born writer Ross Ericson has returned to the original text, a sixth-century Chinese poem, to explore the true identity of one of the most revered women in China.
His World War One-based solo show 'The Unknown Soldier' sold out at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016, and his Offwestend Award-nominated show 'Casualties' has been published by Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
The Brewhouse Theatre show will start at 7:30pm on Tuesday, February 1, and it has a running time of one hour.
Standard tickets cost £15, and student tickets cost £14.
For more information or to book, visit www.thebrewhouse.net/event/the-ballad-of-mulan/.
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