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The Wu-Tang Clan says its current world tour “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber” is its last. But, at least in Portland, the fun doesn’t stop after the July 1 Moda Center show. The next day, Wu-Tang rapper RZA will return to the Hollywood Theatre for a screening of the 1979 kung fu film The Mystery of Chess Boxing, followed by a VIP after-party and DJ set at the Lan Su Chinese Garden.
Tickets go on sale to Hollywood Theatre members tomorrow, June 3, at 10 am and to the general public at 3 pm. There’s a limit of four tickets per order, and only 150 tickets will be sold to the VIP after-party at Lan Su.
Just as the history of Wu-Tang is intertwined with kung fu—the villain in The Mystery of Chess Boxing is named “The Ghost Face Killer,” inspiring rapper Ghostface Killah, for instance—so is the film mixed with the Hollywood Theatre. Dan Halsted, Hollywood Theatre’s head film programmer, owns the only known 35 mm print of The Mystery of Chess Boxing. RZA’s company 36 Cinema acquired the rights and digitally restored the film. Halsted will lead a post-film discussion with RZA after the screening.
“It’s going to be an epic event,” Halsted says. “The Mystery of Chess Boxing was a formative movie for RZA and a huge influence on the Wu-Tang Clan. We’ll be talking about all of that in the Q&A."
In addition to founding the Wu-Tang Clan and being known as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, RZA has also scored film soundtracks such as Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 Kill Bill: Volume 1.
The pavilion at the center of the koi pond of Lan Su Chinese Garden will be turned into RZA’s DJ booth. The Yun Shui Teahouse will serve Wu-Tang-inspired cocktails for the event.
GO: The Mystery of Chess Boxing with RZA at the Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy Blvd., 503-493-1128, hollywoodtheatre.org. 7 pm Wednesday, July 2. $45 for film and Q&A, $100 for film, Q&A and VIP after-party.
