Bai Guojun

In my 30+ years of Broadway theatergoing there have been a few special moments that I know will stick in my memory forever. Michael Jeter dancing his giddy Charleston in Grand Hotel, is one example. Jerry Orbach, in 42nd Street, proclaiming 'musical comedy' as, 'the most glorious words in the English language,' is another. I witnessed the newest addition to my little list at Wednesday night's performance of Soul of Shaolin, when Yu Fei stood on the Marquis Theatre stage, lifted his left leg straight up in the air with his foot to the ceiling, then leaned over and hit the floor in a perfect split, groin first. He did it again at curtain call.

Today's Broadway Blogs on BroadwayWorld.com from Friday, January 16, 2009.

Nederlander Worldwide Productions and The Eastern Shanghai Cultural Film and Television Group have partnered to present the China on Broadway production of 'Soul of Shaolin,' a new Chinese martial arts spectacle. The production began previews on Tuesday, January 13 and opened on Thursday, January 15 at Broadway's Marquis Theatre. BroadwayWorld's cameras captured the high flying opening night celebration. 'Soul of Shaolin' will play a limited engagement of 24 performances in celebration of the Lunar New Year* - the year of the Ox. Direct from appearances in Sydney, Australia; Macau, People's Republic of China; and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, comes a theatrical event that is unparalleled on Broadway. 'Soul of Shaolin' tells the story of a boy named Hui Guang who is separated from his mother by war. Hui Guang is found and taken in by the legendary monks of the Shaolin temple and raised among them. As he becomes a man, Hui Gang becomes an accomplished master of Shaolin Kung Fu and embarks on a spectacular journey of self-discovery. 'Soul of Shaolin' marks the first time a production from the People's Republic of China has appeared on Broadway.