27 – 29 January
The bold and innovative Chinese Boxing will visit the Ustinov Studio from Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 January, having completed tours of the UK, Europe and Southeast Asia. This solo show, described by editor of The Spectator Magazine, Cindy Yu as “intelligent and humorous”, tackles one of the urgent questions of modern times: how will the West get along with China in the 21st Century?
The year is 1912. Sir Claude MacDonald has come Bath to give a talk to the local branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. Sir Claude was the British Minister Plenipotentiary, i.e. ambassador to Peking in 1900 during the famous Boxer Uprising and commanded the defence of the Legations (diplomatic quarter) when they were besieged by the peasant ‘Boxer’ army, supported by Imperial Chinese troops. The siege lasted 55 days and was described in the newspapers of the day as ‘the most exciting episode ever known to civilization’. It was also the subject of the 1963 epic film, 55 Days at Peking, with Charlton Heston and David Niven.
Sir Claude wants to talk about China and the West ‘today’. That’s 1912 for him, today for you. 1912 was the year of the foundation of the Republic of China: a brand new version of an ancient country, determined to recover its position as a superpower, a potential threat to world peace…
Sir Claude starts by ‘taking you back to Peking’ in 1900, to the Imperial Palace, where you hear the story of the Boxer Uprising from the Chinese side. It is not straightforward and will challenge your view of the past – and the present.
Mark Kitto, as well as a writer and actor, is a respected China pundit. He was also recently at the Theatre Royal for Hedda at the Ustinov Studio and as part of the 2025 Ralph Fiennes Season in the Main House, Small Hotel. Mark – who lived and worked in China for 18 years – has written two best-selling memoirs on China, was Prospect Magazine’s China columnist, and performed with the Shanghai People’s Arts Theatre. His latest novel, China Running Dog was released in March 2025.
The performance is followed by a Q and A session about China and Britain today.
Tickets for all performances at the Ustinov Studio are on sale now at Theatre Royal Bath Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at theatreroyal.org.uk
