LEE/GENDARY

October 14-30, 2008 at 7:30pm

HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Avenue between Spring and Broome (entrance on Dominick), NYC)

LEE/GENDARY

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.

Set in the inner landscape of Bruce Lee’s mind the moment he died in 1973, Lee/gendary is 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.

"Then, there is Kim, who is outstanding as Lee. Hers is a convincing performance of rigorous physicality and impressive commitment. She scores big points in the case for non-traditional gender casting by showing that the key to such successes lies in having the right attitude. Oh boy, does she have the attitude! As Lee himself says early in the play, "Champions are made from something inside them." Kim's performance proves that.

-Michael Criscuolo, nytheatre.com

Tickets are $20. To purchase tickets, visit www.here.org or call 212-352-3101. For more information on the show, visit www.leegendary.com