Monkey set for journey to west (and east).

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's project to go on the road after requests flood in

Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's latest project, Monkey: Journey To The West, will take up residency in a tent adjacent to The O2 in London next month before embarking on an overseas tour during 2009 that is set to include Europe, the US and the Far East.

The show has won rave reviews everywhere it has played since launching at the Manchester International Festival last year, but the latest incarnation of the opera show is allowing its producers to step outside the confines they have had to deal with in theatres to construct a purpose-built stage inside a made-to-measure marquee.

"The marquee will have a 2,000-plus capacity, but the main changes will be that the arena that we are building will allow a lot more audience participation," reveals Chris Morrison, who as well as being Albarn's manager is a partner in the Monkey production.

To date, the show has been seen by more than 100,000 people at Manchester Opera House, Chatelet Opera House, Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina and the Royal Opera House in London.

At the Royal Opera House 85% of the audience had never been to an opera before, but Morrison points out, "The word `opera' sometimes puts people off, but the show appeals to everyone from the age of eight to 80, so we're determined to take it to a much bigger audience."

As a result, the show's London run, from November 8 to December 5, will involve 31 performances, but with tickets selling well, that schedule could be extended, while the use of the marquee is allowing Morrison and the show's production crew to ...