A CAST of 25 soldier monks aged seven to 70 star in The Shaolin Monks' Wheel of Life at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, next week.

The monks return to the UK following sell-out shows last year as The Wheel of Life relates the story of Kung Fu through athletic and acrobatic dramatisations of the legends of Shaolin culture.

The monks' art enables them to shatter wooden staves, break iron bars, balance the entire weight of their bodies on sharpened spears, spin on their heads and bend their legs around their ears.

The production takes place at 8pm on Wednesday, September 26, and tickets cost £18.50 from the box office on 0870 607 7544.