The Off-Broadway premiere of Soft Power, a new musical-within-a-play co-written by Tony winners David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) and Jeanine Tesori (Caroline, or Change), opens at The Public Theater October 15.
Soft Power rewinds recent political history and plays it back, a century later, through the Chinese lens of a future East-meets-West musical. The recently extended show, scheduled through November 10, is helmed by Tony-nominated director Leigh Silverman (Violet) with choreography by Tony nominee Sam Pinkleton (Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812).
READ: Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang Write a New Show, With a Musical in Its Back Pocket
Returning to the stage from the world premiere on the West Coast are Conrad Ricamora (The King and I) as Xue Xing, Jon Hoche as Chief Justice/Hālǐ Aòhālā, Francis Jue (Thoroughly Modern Millie) as DHH, Kendyl Ito (Wild Goose Dreams) as Jing, Austin Ku (Pacific Overtures Off-Broadway) as Bobby Bob/Jū Míng, Raymond J. Lee (Groundhog Day) as Randy Ray/Yáo Tuō/VEEP, Alyse Alan Louis (Amélie) as Zoe/Hillary, Jaygee Macapugay (School of Rock) as Betsy/Lóng Lín Kūn, and Billy Bustamante (Miss Saigon) as the Xue Xing standby, along with ensemble members Daniel May, Paul HeeSang Miller, Kristen Faith Oei, Geena Quintos, Trevor Salter, and female swing Emily Stillings. Joining the cast are Emily Trumble, Kyra Smith, and John Yi.
The production features orchestrations by Danny Troob, music direction and supervision by Chris Fenwick, dance arrangements by John Clancy, scenic design by Clint Ramos, costumes by Anita Yavich, lighting by Mark Barton, sound design by Kai Harada, sound effects by Bart Fassbender, video design by Bryce Cutler, hair and makeup design by Tom Watson, special effects by Lillis Meeh, music contracting by Antoine Silverman, and additional orchestrations by Larry Hochman and John Clancy.
Check out photos from the production below.
