Chinese Boxing
What do you get when an ex-British ambassador, a Qing Dynasty rebellion, and a dash of unexpected roleplay collide? You get ‘Chinese Boxing’ – a smart, stirring, slightly surreal yet entertaining solo show that digs deep into the complicated history between China and the West.
The setting: May 1912. The Republic of China is barely five months old. Sir Claude MacDonald, former ambassador in Peking, is on a lecture tour. He’s in Henley at the Kenton Theatre. Topic: ‘China and the West Today’. But things take a theatrical turn fast.
Instead of a straightforward lecture, you’re whisked back to Peking in 1900, smack in the middle of the Boxer Rebellion – a bloody, chaotic siege where Chinese rebels surrounded the foreign legations for 55 days. Sir Claude was there. He led the defence. Now he’s re-living it.
But here’s the twist: you, the audience, are mistaken for a visiting foreign delegation to the Imperial Palace. You’ll hear the Chinese side of the story – and it might upend everything you thought you knew.
Mark Kitto, British actor and writer, spent nearly two decades in China. He speaks fluent Mandarin and performed with the Shanghai People’s Arts Theatre. ‘Chinese Boxing’ is part memoir, part history, part mind-bender.
Following the show, and after a refill at the bar, Mark hosts a Q and A about modern-day China, drawing on his own amusing anecdotes from his time in the country, where amongst other things he was Prospect Magazine’s ‘China Café’ columnist and feature writer.
Prices include a £1.50 Booking Fee, a £1 Restoration Levy and a 25p Community Fund Levy.
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Top Reviews
‘An intelligent and humorous show. A very good place to start if you want to understand China.’ The Spectator –
Full review A very good place to start if you want to understand China: Mark Kitto’s Chinese Boxing reviewed
‘Beguiling, fascinating. This is a show to see.’ Libby Purves –
Full review CHINESE BOXING Touring | theatreCat
‘A stimulating and original show. I learned tons.’
Jonathan Freedland, Guardian/Radio 4‘Brilliantly conceived, written, and acted. Unexpectedly high production values, expertly executed. Not to mention thought-provoking, sad, funny, and both culturally and politically relevant today.’
Susan Crook, producer and author‘This particularly resonant one-man play performed by Mark Kitto was a triumph of immersive theatre bringing to life three very different characters in a wholly believable and convincing manner. Highly enjoyable and thought provoking.’
David Bennett, Director, Stansted Park‘This astonishing production delighted the audience in Streatley with its clever mix of sound and visuals. Mark Kitto covers media bias, cultural appropriation, global power struggles and political calculation in a pacy and enjoyable three-act play. The viewer gets an insight into what went on during the 55-day siege of the foreign legations in Beijing that illuminates current world affairs. It is funny and thought-provoking at the same time. Unmissable.’
Nick Shanager, Goring Gap Festival Audience
Dates, Times & Book
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