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.
| Soft Power | |
|---|---|
| Music | Jeanine Tesori |
| Lyrics | David Henry Hwang Jeanine Tesori (additional lyrics) |
| Book | David Henry Hwang |
| Premiere | May 3, 2018: Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles |
| Productions | 2018 Los Angeles 2018 San Francisco 2019 Off-Broadway |
Performances
It began performances at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in May 2018[3] and at San Francisco's Curran Theatre in June.[4] The musical began performances off-Broadway at The Public Theater on September 14, 2019, directed by Leigh Silverman, and closed on November 17, 2019.[5] 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.[6][7]
Summary
Soft Power was intended as a "reverse The King And I".[8] Instead of exoticizing an Asian country, Soft Power exoticizes America by looking at it from a hypothetical future Chinese musical.
Partly based on Hwang's real life (particularly an actual event from 2015 where he was stabbed in the neck), the play with a musical features a fever dream with a Chinese businessman, Xue Xing, who travels to America for work. There, he meets and becomes close to Hillary Clinton. Many of the details about America are "as hilariously inexact as most Western stories set in Asia".[9] For example, Xing travels to the "Hollywood Airport" and Hillary performs a number while revealing a Wonder Woman outfit in a glitzy McDonald's. It also examines the nature of democracy, cultural identity, appropriation and racism.[10] In particular, 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.
Cast and Characters
| Character | Off-Broadway (2019)[11] |
|---|---|
| Xuē Xíng | Conrad Ricamora |
| DHH | Francis Jue |
| Zoe / Hillary Clinton | Alyse Alan Louis |
| Jīng / Prof. Lǐ Bìyù / Ensemble | Kendyl Ito |
| Bobby Bob / Jū Míng | Austin Ku |
| Randy Ray / Veep / Yáo Tuō / Ensemble | Raymond J. Lee |
| Betsy / Lóng Lín Kūn / Ensemble | Jaygee Macapugay |
| Chief Justice / Tony Monero / Hālǐ Aòhālā / Senator / Ensemble | Jon Hoche |
| Airport Greeter / Ensemble | Geena Quintos |
Musical numbers
|
Act 1
|
Act 2
|
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",[4] and Frank Rizzo of Variety said it was "subversive as well as funny, touching and thoroughly entertaining".[12] 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",[13] 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).[3]
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, with the committee cited 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."[14]
Original Off-Broadway production
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Lucille Lortel Awards[15] | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | |
| 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[16] | Outstanding Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Francis Jue | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Conrad Ricamora | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Alyse Alan Louis | Nominated | ||
| 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 Ramos | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical | Anita Yavich | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Kai Harada | Nominated | ||
| Drama League Awards[17] | Outstanding Production of a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Pulitzer Prize for Drama | David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori | Finalist | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding New Off-Boradway Musical | Honoree | ||
| Outstanding Book of a Musical | David Henry Hwang | Honoree | ||
| Outstanding New Score | Jeanine Tesori and David Henry Hwang | Honoree | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | Francis Jue | Honoree | ||
| 2021 | Grammy Awards[18] | Best Musical Theater Album | Nominated | |
Recording
The original cast recording was released on April 17, 2020 through Ghostlight Records.[19] The album peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Cast Albums chart.[20]
References
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Soft Power review: A form-busting examination of the American Dream|EW.com
- ^ a b McPhee, Ryan (2019-01-29). "Soft Power Leads Los Angeles' 2019 Ovation Awards". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- ^ a b Hurwitt, Sam (2019-10-15). "Theater Review: Flipping the Classic Musical Script in Soft Power". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Nominees". Drama Desk Awards. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ Miller, Deb (2020-06-14). "See who won the 65th Annual Drama Desk Awards". DC Metro Theater Arts. Retrieved 2020-11-30.
- ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 'Soft Power': David Henry Hwang Musical for Democracy - Rolling Stone
- ^ Clement, Olivia (2019-09-11). "Soft Power Extends Off-Broadway Run Again at The Public Theater". Playbill. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ Rizzo, Frank (2019-10-15). "Off Broadway Review: 'Soft Power'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-03-11.
- ^ McHenry, Jackson (2019-10-15). "Theater Review: Flipping the Classic Musical Script in Soft Power". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
- ^ "Finalist: Soft Power, by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 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.
- ^ "PBreaking: 2020 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List!". Broadway World. April 21, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ BWW News Desk. "Breaking News: Drama League Announces 2020 Nominations". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-05-01.
- ^ William, Chris. "Grammy Awards Nominations 2021: The Complete List". Variety. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ "Soft Power (Original Cast Recording) [Explicit]". Amazon Music. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ "Chart Search". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2020.