Soft Power (musical)

Last updated
Soft Power
Music Jeanine Tesori
Lyrics David Henry Hwang
Jeanine Tesori (additional lyrics)
Book David Henry Hwang
PremiereMay 3, 2018 (2018-05-03): Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles
Productions2018 Los Angeles
2018 San Francisco
2019 Off-Broadway
2024 Arlington, VA

Soft Power is a musical (also referred to by its authors as a "play with a musical" [1] ) with book and lyrics by David Henry Hwang [2] and music and additional lyrics by Jeanine Tesori.

Contents

Soft Power was intended as a "reverse The King And I ". Instead of exoticizing an Asian country, Soft Power exoticizes America by looking at it from a hypothetical future Chinese musical. It also serves as a quasi-sequel to Hwang's 2007 play Yellow Face . Like that play, the semi-autobiographical work centers around a stand-in for the author named DHH interacting with fictional characters. [3] The play was partially inspired by a 2015 stabbing of Hwang by a stranger on the streets of New York City. [4]

Performances

It began performances at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in May 3, 2018 [5] and at San Francisco's Curran Theatre in June. [6] The musical began performances off-Broadway at The Public Theater on September 14, 2019, directed by Leigh Silverman, and closed on November 17, 2019. [7] The show was nominated for 11 awards at the 2020 Drama Desk Awards, the most of any show that year, but didn't win any. [8] [9] Following a workshop in New York City and revisions, a shortened version, with only one act, began performances at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, on August 7, 2024. [10]

Summary

In 2015, playwright DHH (a stand-in for the author), meets with Chinese film executive Xue Xing about adapting a Chinese film into an American-style romantic comedy musical aimed at Chinese audiences. They attend a performance of The King and I that is a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign alongside Xing's American girlfriend Zoe, where Xing briefly meets Clinton.

DHH's efforts to adapt the film, the title of which roughly translates to "Stick With Your Mistake", are complicated by what he sees as different values between American and Chinese culture: he takes umbrage with the ending where the hero returns to an unhappy marriage instead of following his heart, and feels that with the upcoming 2016 election and belief that Hilary Clinton will become President, he needs to write a musical where dreams are fulfilled and freedom flourishes. His view on the matter changes when Clinton loses the election to "the other candidate", and Xue Xing suggests suspending the project in the aftermath.

Shortly after, DHH is stabbed in the neck in an apparent hate crime. On the surgery table, he has a hallucinatory vision of a musical retelling of Xue Xing's trip to America, where he meets and falls in love with Hilary Clinton, as written by a Chinese author 50 years in the future. The musical imagines a future where America has lost its soft power, and many of the details about America are "as hilariously inexact as most Western stories set in Asia". [11] For example, Xing travels to the "Hollywood Airport" and Hillary performs a number while revealing a Wonder Woman outfit in a glitzy McDonald's. Most of the "white" roles are played by Asian actors in whiteface and incorrect accents, [1] a reversal of the movie version of The King and I. The musical also examines the nature of democracy, cultural identity, appropriation and racism. [12]

Cast and characters

CharacterOff-Broadway (2019) [13]
Xuē Xíng Conrad Ricamora
DHH Francis Jue
Zoe / Hillary Clinton Alyse Alan Louis
Jīng / Prof. Lǐ Bìyù / EnsembleKendyl Ito
Bobby Bob / Jū MíngAustin Ku
Randy Ray / Veep / Yáo Tuō / EnsembleRaymond J. Lee
Betsy / Lóng Lín Kūn / EnsembleJaygee Macapugay
Chief Justice / Tony Monero / Hālǐ Aòhālā / Senator / EnsembleJon Hoche
Airport Greeter / EnsembleGeena Quintos

Musical numbers

Critical response

Sam Hurwitt of The Mercury News called it "marvelously clever", also saying that Alyse Alan Louis as Hillary Clinton "tears the roof off the place", [6] and Frank Rizzo of Variety said it was "subversive as well as funny, touching and thoroughly entertaining". [14] In more mixed reviews, Jackson McHenry of Vulture said that it tended to be fascinating and messy, with the musical within the play being "occasionally too clever by half", [15] and Jesse Green of The New York Times said that it was "something of a miracle but also something of a muddle", and "it's the kind of show that deserves, and unfortunately needs, to be seen at least twice." [1]

Awards and nominations

Soft Power won six of Los Angeles' 2019 Ovation Awards, including Best Production of a Musical (Large Theater). [16]

The Public Theater production of Soft Power was nominated for five Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Musical.

The musical was named 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist; the committee described the show as "A multi-layered and mischievous musical that deconstructs a beloved, original American art form to examine the promise and the limits of representation in both the theatrical and political senses of the word." [17]

Original Off-Broadway production

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2020 Lucille Lortel Awards [18] Outstanding MusicalNominated
Outstanding Choreographer Sam Pinkleton Nominated
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical Francis Jue Nominated
Conrad Ricamora Nominated
Outstanding Scenic Design Clint Ramos Nominated
Drama Desk Awards [19] Outstanding Musical Nominated
Outstanding Actor in a Musical Francis JueNominated
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical Conrad RicamoraNominated
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Alyse Alan LouisNominated
Outstanding Director of a Musical Leigh Silverman Nominated
Outstanding Music Jeanine Tesori Nominated
Outstanding Book of a Musical David Henry Hwang Nominated
Outstanding Orchestrations Danny Troob, John Clancy, and Larry Hochman Nominated
Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical Clint RamosNominated
Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical Anita YavichNominated
Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical Kai HaradaNominated
Drama League Awards [20] Outstanding Production of a MusicalNominated
Pulitzer Prize for Drama David Henry Hwang and Jeanine TesoriFinalist
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding New Off-Broadway MusicalHonoree
Outstanding Book of a MusicalDavid Henry HwangHonoree
Outstanding New ScoreJeanine Tesori and David Henry HwangHonoree
Outstanding Featured Actor in a MusicalFrancis JueHonoree
2021 Grammy Awards [21] Best Musical Theater Album Nominated

Recording

The original cast recording was released on April 17, 2020 through Ghostlight Records. [22] The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Cast Albums chart. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pulitzer Prize for Drama</span> American award for distinguished plays

The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were awarded that year. It recognizes a theatrical work staged in the U.S. during the preceding calendar year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Henry Hwang</span> American playwright

David Henry Hwang is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays FOB, Golden Child, and Yellow Face. He has one Tony Award and two other nominations. Three of his works have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Kuhn</span> American actress and singer (born 1958)

Judy Kuhn is an American actress, singer and activist, known for her work in musical theatre. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she has released four studio albums and sang the title role in the 1995 film Pocahontas, including her rendition of the song "Colors of the Wind", which won its composers the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeanine Tesori</span> American composer and musical arranger (born 1961)

Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, is an American composer and musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway musicals and six Tony Award nominations. She won the 1999 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music in a Play for Nicholas Hytner's production of Twelfth Night at Lincoln Center, the 2004 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music for Caroline, or Change, the 2015 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Fun Home, making them the first female writing team to win that award, and the 2023 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Kimberly Akimbo. She was named a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist twice for Fun Home and Soft Power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria Clark</span> American musical theatre actress (born 1959)

Victoria Clark is an American actress, musical theatre soprano, and director. Clark has performed in numerous Broadway musicals and in other theatre, film and television works. Her voice can also be heard on various cast albums and in several animated films. In 2008, she released her first solo album titled Fifteen Seconds of Grace. A five-time Tony Award nominee, Clark won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2005 for her performance in The Light in the Piazza. She also won the Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, and the Joseph Jefferson Award for the role. She won a second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical in 2023 for her performance in Kimberly Akimbo.

<i>Caroline, or Change</i> Musical by Jeanine Tesori and Tony Kushner

Caroline, or Change is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and lyrics and book by Tony Kushner. The score combines spirituals, blues, Motown, classical music, and Jewish klezmer and folk music.

Dick Scanlan is an American writer, director, and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmanson Theatre</span> Performing arts theatre in Los Angeles, California

The Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that compose the Los Angeles Music Center. Shows at this theater are produced by Center Theatre Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Jue</span> American actor and singer (born 1963)

Francis Jue is an American actor and singer. Jue is known for his performances on Broadway, in national tours, Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and at The Muny in St. Louis. His roles in plays and musicals range from Shakespeare to Rodgers and Hammerstein to David Henry Hwang. He is also known for his recurring role on the TV series Madam Secretary (2014–2019).

The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation, with additional support from the Theatre Development Fund.

<i>Yellow Face</i> (play) 2007 play by David Henry Hwang

Yellow Face is a semi-autobiographical play by David Henry Hwang, featuring the author himself as the protagonist, DHH, mounting his 1993 play Face Value. The play's themes include questions of race and of the interaction between media and politics.

Andy Blankenbuehler is an American dancer, choreographer and director primarily for stage and concerts. He has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Choreography five times, and has won three times: for In the Heights (2008), Hamilton (2016), and Bandstand (2017). Blankenbuehler's other Broadway choreography work includes 9 to 5, Bring it On: The Musical, and the 2016 Cats revival. Blankenbuehler was awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in 2018 for his work on Hamilton. He also choreographed the movie adaptation of Cats. Most recently he choreographed, directed and co-wrote Only Gold - a new musical with Music by Kate Nash at MCC Theater.

Sydney Ellen Lucas is an American actress with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known for her portrayal of Small Alison Bechdel in both the original Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori's musical Fun Home; she won an Obie Award and Theater World Award and received nominations for a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance. She most recently starred in the main cast of AMC's western drama television series The Son as Jeannie McCullough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Greenberg</span> American theater director

Gordon Greenberg is an American stage director, a theater and television writer, and an Artistic Associate at The New Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessie Mueller</span> American actress and singer

Jessica Ruth Mueller is an American actress and singer. She started her acting career in Chicago and won two Joseph Jefferson Awards in 2008 and 2011 for her roles as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel and Amalia Balash in She Loves Me. In 2011, she moved to New York City to star in a Broadway revival of musical On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She went on to receive two additional Best Actress in a Musical Tony Award nominations for her leading roles in Waitress (2016) and the Broadway revival of Carousel (2018).

<i>Fun Home</i> (musical) Musical adapted by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori

Fun Home is a musical theatre adaptation of Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic memoir of the same name, with music by Jeanine Tesori, and book and lyrics by Lisa Kron. The story concerns Bechdel's discovery of her own lesbian sexuality, her relationship with her closeted gay father, and her attempts to unlock the mysteries surrounding his life. It is told in a series of non-linear vignettes connected by narration provided by the adult Alison character.

Conrad Wayne Ricamora-Jensen is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Oliver Hampton on the ABC television series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–20). As a stage actor, he is noted for his roles in the original Off-Broadway musicals Here Lies Love and Soft Power, which premiered in 2013 and 2019, respectively. He made his Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of The King and I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leigh Silverman</span> American director

Leigh Silverman is an American director for the stage, both off-Broadway and on Broadway. She was nominated for the 2014 and 2024 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for the musicals Violet and Suffs, and the 2008 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for the play From Up Here.

<i>Kimberly Akimbo</i> (musical) 2021 musical by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire

Kimberly Akimbo is a 2021 musical with music by Jeanine Tesori, and lyrics and book by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on Lindsay-Abaire's 2001 comedy of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Abud</span> American theatre actor

George Abud is a Lebanese-American actor, playwright, and musician. He is known for playing Camal in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of The Band's Visit, receiving a Daytime Emmy Award for his work on the show's NBC Today Show performance.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Green, Jesse (2019-10-15). "Review: In the Musical 'Soft Power,' China Whistles the Tune (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  2. ↑ Soft Power review: A form-busting examination of the American Dream|EW.com
  3. ↑ Fung, Lisa (2018-05-03). "A big bet on 'Soft Power': How David Henry Hwang's latest play takes on China, Trump and more". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  4. ↑ Woods, Amanda (2015-12-04). "Broadway playwright stabbed in the neck during random attack". New York Post. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  5. ↑ Gans, Andrew (2017-02-23). "David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's Soft Power Will Premiere at the Ahmanson". Playbill. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  6. 1 2 Hurwitt, Sam (2019-10-15). "Theater Review: Flipping the Classic Musical Script in Soft Power". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  7. ↑ Lefkowitz, Andy (2019-09-06). "Jeanine Tesori & David Henry Hwang's New Musical Soft Power Gets Extension at Public Theater". broadway.com. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
  8. ↑ "Nominees". Drama Desk Awards. Archived from the original on 2020-10-14. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  9. ↑ Miller, Deb (2020-06-14). "See who won the 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards". DC Metro Theater Arts. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
  10. ↑ Morgan, Richard (2024-08-06). "How to update your play about American democracy for 2024". Washington Post. Retrieved 29 August 2024.
  11. ↑ McNulty, Charles (2018-05-17). "Review: 'Soft Power' at the Ahmanson: Big, bold, overly complicated and spectacularly unique". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  12. ↑ 'Soft Power': David Henry Hwang Musical for Democracy - Rolling Stone
  13. ↑ Clement, Olivia (2019-09-11). "Soft Power Extends Off-Broadway Run Again at The Public Theater". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
  14. ↑ Rizzo, Frank (2019-10-15). "Off Broadway Review: 'Soft Power'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
  15. ↑ McHenry, Jackson (2019-10-15). "Theater Review: Flipping the Classic Musical Script in Soft Power". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  16. ↑ McPhee, Ryan (2019-01-29). "Soft Power Leads Los Angeles' 2019 Ovation Awards". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  17. ↑ "Finalist: Soft Power, by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori".
  18. ↑ Clement, Olivia (2020-04-14). "Playwrights Horizons Leads 2020 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations With Strange Loop and Heroes of the Fourth Turning". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  19. ↑ "PBreaking: 2020 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List!". Broadway World. April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  20. ↑ BWW News Desk. "Breaking News: Drama League Announces 2020 Nominations". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
  21. ↑ William, Chris (24 November 2020). "Grammy Awards Nominations 2021: The Complete List". Variety. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  22. ↑ "Soft Power (Original Cast Recording) [Explicit]". Amazon Music. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Chart Search". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.