By Austin Yang

Soft Power, as a pastiche of The King and I, speaks to many personal things about being Asian in America, including appropriation, discrimination, and the clash between Eastern and Western ideals of fate and heart, respectively. Boldly authentic and incisive, it’s an Asian-American musical like no other.

大難不死,必有後福

At the Public Theater. Tickets can be found here.

Soft Power – Book & Lyrics by David Henry Hwang, Music & Lyrics by Jeanine Tesori

Orchestrations: Danny Troob | Director: Leigh Silverman | Music Drection & Supervision: Chris Fenwick | Dance Arrangements: John Clancy | Scenic Design: Clint Ramos | Costume Design: Anita Yavich | Lighting Design: Mark Barton | Sound Design: Kai Harada | Sound Effects Design: Bart Fasbender | Video Design: Bryce Cutler | Hair/Wig/Makeup Design: Tom Watson | Choreography by Sam Pinkleton

Featuring: Billy Bustamente, Jon Hoche, Kendyl Ito, Francis Jue, Austin Ku, Raymond J. Lee, Daniel May, Paul Heesang Miller, Kristen Faith Oei, Geena Quintos, Conrad Ricamora, Trevor Salter, Kyra Smith, Emily Stillings, Emily Trumble, John Yi