TLDR
Key Takeaways
- Monkey Goes West is a musical adaptation of the Chinese classic Journey to the West, produced by Wild Rice.
- The show runs from 12 November to 27 December 2026 at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre in Funan, Singapore.
- The story follows Ah Tang, who meets the Monkey King and others on a quest for belonging.
- Expect thrilling performances, wushu sequences, and multiple casts of young performers.
- Tickets are available for children aged five and above, with accessibility options on select dates.
Some family shows fade once the children who saw them grow up. Others get passed down. Monkey Goes West, Wild Rice’s musical take on the Chinese classic Journey to the West, is back in Singapore from 12 November to 27 December 2026 at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre in Funan. It is the show’s first staging in a decade, which means some of the children who watched its 2014 premiere are now old enough to bring their own.
The idea behind it was a simple inversion. Wild Rice’s year-end pantomimes had long been a fixture of the local theatre calendar, built on the very British format of slapstick, song and audience heckling. Rather than adapting another Western fairy tale, playwright Alfian Sa’at looked east and fitted the pantomime around the sixteenth-century Chinese novel. The result premiered at Victoria Theatre, played to sold-out houses and won three Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards, including Production of the Year and Best Costume Design, before an encore run at Drama Centre Theatre in 2016.
What to Expect from Monkey Goes West at Wild Rice
The story follows Ah Tang, an orphan who runs away after a quarrel with his adoptive family and lands somewhere entirely unfamiliar. There he falls in with Wukong the Monkey King, the always-hungry Pigsy and Sandy, a stubborn river ogre. The four take on the fire-breathing Red Boy, the shape-shifting King Bull and Princess Iron Fan, whose magic fan they need to get hold of.
Readers who know the original will notice the name. Alfian swaps the novel’s monk, Tang Sanzang, for a runaway boy, and the pilgrimage for scripture becomes a search for somewhere to belong. It is a small change, but it gives the gags and fight scenes an emotional thread that adults are likely to pick up on well before the children do.
Ivan Heng directs, with music by Elaine Chan. The cast includes Sugie Phua as the Monkey King, Siti Khalijah Zainal as Sandy, Tia Andrea Guttensohn as Pigsy, Ebi Shankara as King Bull and Ryan Ang as Ah Tang. Chua Enlai plays Princess Iron Fan, in keeping with the pantomime tradition of men taking on the larger-than-life female roles. Expect wushu sequences, stage magic and two rotating casts of young performers from the First Stage ensemble and Martial House across the run.
Monkey Goes West in Singapore: Dates, Tickets and Access
The show runs about two and a half hours, including a 20-minute interval, and is recommended for ages five and above. Performances run Tuesday to Sunday, with weekend matinees the easier option for younger children. Tickets can be bought with SG Culture Pass credits through SISTIC or the official SG Culture Pass portal, and students, full-time NSFs and senior citizens get 10 percent off Category 1 and 2 seats.
Wild Rice has also scheduled access performances: an audio-described show with a touch tour on 12 December, captioned performances from 16 to 18 December, and a relaxed performance with reduced sound levels on 20 December.
Monkey Goes West runs until 27 December 2026. Visit wildrice.com.sg for showtimes, tickets and access performance details.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Monkey Goes West is an original family musical by Wild Rice that retells the Chinese classic Journey to the West in the style of a pantomime.
Monkey Goes West runs from 12 November to 27 December 2026 at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Wild Rice @ Funan, 107 North Bridge Road, #04-08, Singapore 179105.
The book and lyrics are by Alfian Sa’at, the music is by Elaine Chan, and the production is directed by Ivan Heng.
Yes. The show is recommended for ages five and above and runs about 2 hours 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval.
Yes. Tickets can be purchased with SG Culture Pass credits via SISTIC or sgculturepass.gov.sg.
Yes. There is an audio-described performance with touch tour on 12 December, captioned performances on 16 to 18 December, and a relaxed performance on 20 December 2026.