Bringing the Action Back to Theater — One Misplaced Burglar At a Time.

When the average theatergoer thinks of theater comedy, the first image that probably comes to mind is the classic bright, cheery musicals and plays, with enough overglitzed musical numbers and sarcastic one-liners to make a joke book out of. But what do you think would happen if, instead of a regular run-of-the-mill comedy, you took an East Asian martial arts action movie, combined it with slapstick comedy, and infused it with a whole lot of attitude? Well, you’d probably get “Jump”!

Running right here in downtown Manhattan, “Jump” is a martial arts theater event which first made its debut in Seoul, South Korea in 2003. It spread not only throughout Asia, but throughout the world, playing successful engagements in Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia, Tokyo, Osaka, Israel, Madrid, Edinburgh, and London. It premiered at the Union Square Theatre in 2007, where it is still located even today.

Set in a traditional South Korean home (which seems more like a dojo), “Jump” is, in essence, the microcosmic story of a family – strict parents, sibling squabbling, young love, and all. But it just so happens that this family is in fact a family full of martial artists – and when a duo of burglars just so happen to decide to rob their house, hilarity – with some crazy Jackie Chan-esque skills – ensues.

I will freely admit that, as many have criticized, “Jump” is hardly the performance you’d want to watch if you’re a theatergoer who likes clear plot lines, lengthy dialogue, or even meaningful interaction between the characters (one wonders, at times, if half the cast members even speak English). The whole production, in fact, basically has no dialogue at all – making identifying the characters a bit of a challenge until about halfway through the performance. Without the ever-trusty Playbill, in fact, identifying who exactly is playing what kind of role in itself might even be confusing. Dialogue is, without a doubt, the kind of interaction which in theater is the very first identifying aspect of a character. Sans dialogue, “Jump” relies on the audience’s interpretation of stereotypical roles and generalized actions in order to understand even an inkling of the sparse plot; When an old man begins directing the other cast members to clean a room in the strictest of manners, and they respond with both respect and a hint of mocking silliness, it’s not too hard to guess that the old man is the head of the family.

The lack of dialogue, however, in no way detracts from the comedy of the performance. As a silly, lighthearted, easy-to-digest physical comedy, “Jump” fits the bill. An overweight burglar with an afro tries to enter the house through a window – backwards – and ends up falling; The uncle often pretends to be mortally wounded, only to gleefully reveal the silly joke seconds later – even to the burglar; The daughter’s suitor is a shy, bookish introvert who turns into a daring, powerful hulk-like fighter when he loses his glasses. The comedy of “Jump” lies not in sarcasm or underlying commentary – it simply makes you laugh, in the end, because it’s just that silly.

Comedy, however, is not the only focus of “Jump”. It is very clear throughout the performance that while “Jump” will entertain you, it will also wow you. The lighthearted humor is accompanied by sharp choreography and impressive demonstrations of martial arts and athletic skills. The energy never wanes in line after line of jumping, flipping, punching, kicking, running-up-the-wall action, leaving you wondering just how many days, months, or even years it took for the performers to be able to do the things they just did.

While others may not have as much of an opinion of “Jump” as I do – and I know for a fact that The New York Times was a little less than enthusiastic about the performance – I still believe that, in the end, “Jump” does what it set out to do: to entertain, and to awe. It may not be very deep; it may not have dialogue; it may not have a complex storyline; and it may not make you think about life any differently than you did when the lights first dimmed in the relatively tiny theater it plays in – but it emphasizes, at least to me, that fun and laughter is universal.