TALES from Asia will be brought to the stage with the help of a virtual monkey army in a new show at the Georgian Theatre Royal in Richmond on Saturday, March 7.

Renowned poet Daljit Nagra last year published Ramayana A Retelling with Faber & Faber, a rumbustious reworking of an ancient Asian epic remade for a modern multicultural, multi-faith audience.

It attracted great critical acclaim and was the Financial Times and New Statesman’s Book of the Year.

Jaybird Live Literature's stage adaption, The Retold Ramayana, features the poet performing key scenes interspersed with reflections on his relationship to the literary epic.

Nagra first heard about Rama's quest to rescue Sita from Raavana, Lord of the Underworld, as a child in the 1970s. Versions of the stories have enchanted audiences in the East for thousands of years.

Love scenes, kidnaps and battles featuring a million-strong army of monkeys are recounted in words and through projections, including specially commissioned illustrations by comic book artist Jim Connolly, with special lighting effects by John Castle.

The show starts at 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £7 to £15 and are available from the box office on 01748 825252 or online at georgiantheatreroyal.co.uk.