South Korean martial arts circus Jump packs a punch. And a kick. And a slap.
Jump will be on at Sadler’s Wells until 15 November.
Coming all the way from somewhere below the 38th parallel, this steaming bowl of family-friendly South Korean chop-socky is a heartwarming and eyepopping treat. It started as a local production in 2003 but soon sprouted wings travelling to the Edinburgh Fringe, London’s West End and off-Broadway in New York. This week, it arrives for a stint at Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre.
Its blend of martial arts (not least Korea’s Taekwondo and Taekkyeon), comedy and acrobatics see seven performers enact various family roles while another two play the stupidest burglars in the world. I mean, seriously, who would break into a home filled with the kind of athletic fighting machines who have swords, sticks and nunchuku lying to hand? Forget what the sign says: the dog is not the one they should be watching out for.
Those whose cultural exposure to South Korea extends to the cinema may be glad to know that Jump doesn’t have the kind of explicit violence seen in hugely popular exports like Oldboy, a film which sees the Buddhist lead actor take a chomp out of a live octopus. Four times.
Having said that, the first act has female household members clocked over the head with long sticks, hair being pulled hard and one unfortunate’s legs being pulled apart before a sturdy cane is firmly planted where the sun doesn’t shine (no, not Edinburgh). This may be a frequent night-time scene on the backstreets of Croydon but the high temple of dance that is Sadler’s Wells likes to aim a little higher.
Thankfully, the casual scenes of domestic violence are carried out with tight direction, oodles of light-hearted humour and no little theatrical skill. It is no criticism to say that there’s an almost cartoonish quality throughout. This renders the no-holds-barred infighting that could require a lifetime of therapy to get over into outlandish and often outrageous interplay. Well-timed slapstick is liberally applied throughout.
The audience interaction elements deserve praise too. In most Sadler’s Wells productions, the fourth wall is sternly present and correct but here there is a definite effort to engage the punters. Before the show starts properly, the “grandad” moves slowly through the stalls before tasking one lady with shoving him up the stage stairs. On two other occasions, individuals are called up from the front rows to help out in short skits. Both escape with their dignity and a round of applause.
That’s not to say that this is a perfect production but the quibbles are minor. Watching the grandad wander around the huge stage at a snail’s pace should be considered a moral alternative to waterboarding. Sure, the pseuds will point to the subtext-heavy clowning in Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape but Jump has no obvious pretensions to being high art. The music used could have come straight from a late 80s action movie (maybe as Roger Moore chases some hapless human MacGuffin down a Shanghai backstreet) and the sparse English dialogue, such as it is, wouldn’t be out of a place on the arcade fighting games of that era.
From soup to nuts, this is a kick-ass show which generally rattles along at a child-friendly pace. This is perfect half-term fare for all which is neither fey nor patronising. There’s plenty to gawp and gasp at no matter your age. Whether you have small ones to entertain or not, this is a surefire winner for anyone who gets even the slightest kick from martial arts.
Jump. Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells, London WC2A 2HT. 28 Oct – 15 Nov. £15-£38. www.sadlerswells.com
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