Musicals that depict East-West relations like South Pacific and The King and I are often filled with stereotypes about Asian exoticism and the superiority of more “civilized” Western country. David Henry Hwang’s musical, Soft Power, addresses these stereotypes by shifting the focus to the “Eastern” perspective. Soft Power debuted in Los Angeles during the month of May and has been playing at the Curran in San Francisco since June. It will play through July 8.
The book and lyrics are written by Hwang, but Hwang also worked with Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori to write the musical score and additional lyrics. According to Playbill, Tesori was recruited by Hwang and the musical’s director Leigh Silverman. Soft Power marks the sixth time Hwang and Silverman have collaborated.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, David Henry Hwang drew some of the inspiration for the musical from the moving experience he had when he saw Broadway’s revival of The King & I. Hwang was deeply moved by the musical, but troubled by some aspects of the story.
“I always loved this musical but as I have gotten older I became aware of aspects of it that are questionable such as whether an English woman would come to Siam to teach the king how to run his country,” Hwang said in an interview with The San Francisco Chronicle.
Hwang said he saw that part of the musical as a “recurrent trope in western work” and wondered how he might “flip it on its head.” According to the Los Angeles Times, he kept those thoughts in mind when the Center Theater Group approached him about writing a play, and Soft Power was born.
Hwang was also interested in the concept of soft power, which is a term used to describe the power that is derived from influencing the world through arts and culture. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hwang is used to being approached by Chinese producers who want to create shows that will become international sensations, which might then accrue some soft power. Hwang told NBC News in an interview that his interest in the concept of soft power combined with Chinese producers’ interest in putting their shows on Broadway also helped push the musical along.
“I’ve been interested in subject of soft power over the years — 10 to 15 years — I’ve been approached by the Chinese producers, with the intention of getting their shows on Broadway,” Hwang said in the interview.
Soft Power is a satirical musical with a complex two-act story. San Francisco Theater, an independent guide to San Francisco theater, describes the musical as a story of “culture clash, confusion, and a thoroughly modern romance.” According to a small synopsis in an article from the Los Angeles Times, the musical is about a Chinese producer named Xua Xing and a Chinese playwright named DHH who meet Hilary Clinton at a performance of The King & I. The meeting inspires the creation of a musical, which DHH dreams up after he is stabbed. Much of the musical is inspired by events that took place during the 2016 presidential elections.
In the musical, for Hwang, art also imitates life. The Hollywood Reporter noted that, just like in his play Yellowface, Hwang wrote himself into the play as the character DHH. The stabbing, which is a pivotal point in the musical’s plot, was inspired by Hwang’s stabbing.
Hwang’s stabbing occurred as he and others began work on Soft Power. According to NBC News, the Center Theater Group commissioned Hwang to write a play in 2014. In early December 2015, Hwang was stabbed in the neck on his way home in Brooklyn. The character DHH almost dies after being stabbed in the neck. It is at this point that the show shifts from play to musical.
The musical debuted on May 16 at the Music Center’s Ahmason Theater in Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, it was “one of the most highly anticipated shows of the season.” Its debut was met with several positive reviews. The Hollywood Reporter said that Soft Power could be “the most creatively and intellectually ambitious musical of the year.”
After its international debut in Los Angeles, Soft Power moved to the Curran on June 20 where it continued to receive glowing reviews. The Mercury News called it a “bold new style of theater.” A review by The San Francisco Chronicle offered a few criticisms but concluded that it “deserves to be known as one of the defining theatrical works of the Trump era.”
Hwang is also being praised for what some are calling color-conscious casting. According to Playbill, there are fifteen Asian Americans in a cast of seventeen. Among them is How to Get Away with Murder star Conrad Ricamora. Hwang told NBC News that color-conscious casting is a way to address the lack of diversity on Broadway.
“On Broadway and the 12 major regional theaters in New York, those actors statistically over the past 12 years have been 75-80 percent white. That’s just a bad diversity figure,” Hwang told NBC News. “It’s not preparing the theater for future audiences, which are going to be majority people of color.”
After its run at the Curran, Hwang and the cast hope the musical will move to New York. In an interview with Broadway World, Hwang discussed his hopes for the musical with journalist and writer Wayman Wong. Wong asked Hwang what’s next for Soft Power, speculating that the show might play at The Public because it was co-commissioned by The Public Theater and the Center Theater Group.
“I’m confident we’ll get to New York,” Hwang told Wong in the interview. “And assuming that happens, we’ll look at it again. There’s always more work you want to do.”
For now, Soft Power will play through July 8 at the Curran in San Francisco. There will be one evening show on Friday and two shows on both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are available on the Curran’s website.
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