The Public Theater is hosting a live virtual listening party on Friday, April 17 to celebrate the cast album recording of Soft Power at 8pm on youtube. Funds will be raised to support The Public Theater and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund during the event. Click on the link below.
David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s Soft Power, produced by The Public Theater and Center Theatre Group, recently received five Lucille Lortel nominations including Outstanding Musical, Outstanding Choreography for Sam Pinkleton and Outstanding Scenic Design for Clint Ramos and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for Conrad Ricamora and Francis Jue.
The Soft Power – Original Cast Recording will be available on digital and streaming formats on Friday, April 17 on Ghostlight Records. The album is based on the new musical’s recent New York premiere production at The Public Theater (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham). Soft Power features book and lyrics by Tony Award winner David Henry Hwang and music and additional lyrics by Tony Award winner Jeanine Tesori, with choreography by Tony nominee Sam Pinkleton. A co-commission and co-production with Center Theatre Group, Tony nominee Leigh Silverman directed this groundbreaking new musical. The album is produced by Jeanine Tesori and Matt Stine, with The Public Theater and Kurt Deutsch serving as executive producers. To pre-order Soft Power, please visit ghostlightrecords.lnk.to/softpower
Watch a music video of the show’s finale “Democracy (Reprise)” – featuring footage from the album recording session!
When Soft Power opened at The Public’s Newman Theater last year, Variety called it “thrilling, moving, and revolutionary.” The Wall Street Journal raved “Mr. Hwang’s book is gloriously funny, while Ms. Tesori’s score is a persuasive blend of emotional directness and ingenious musical pastiche. I don’t remember when I last saw a musical that was this smart-and touching.” The Daily Beast said “Tesori has a wonderful knack of creating a lush melody, spiked with very pointed, political point-making.” According to The New Yorker, “[Hwang] affirms the things that could make America good again: care, compassion, mutual respect.” Performances ran from September 24 through November 17, 2019.
Last Friday, Theater Mu’s Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal hosted a Mu-tini Hour zoom chat with David Henry Hwang and Francis Jue. Watch the interview below.
“The extraordinary beauty of Jeanine Tesori’s score and David Henry Hwang’s lyrics for Soft Power will now be preserved forever,” said Oskar Eustis. “Soft Power is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and history-making show: this recording will not only save this amazing cast and orchestra, but it will be a thrilling map for what promises to be an exciting future for the show.”
The complete cast of Soft Power includes Billy Bustamante (Xuē Xíng Standby), Jon Hoche (Chief Justice/Hālǐ Àohālā/Ensemble), Kendyl Ito (Jīng/Prof. Lǐ Bìyù/Ensemble), Francis Jue (DHH), Austin Ku (Bobby Bob/Jū Míng), Raymond J. Lee (Randy Ray/Yáo Tuō/Veep/Ensemble), Alyse Alan Louis (Zoe/Hillary), Jaygee Macapugay (Betsy/Lóng Lín Kūn/Ensemble), Daniel May (Ensemble), Paul HeeSang Miller (Ensemble), Kristen Faith Oei (Ensemble), Geena Quintos (Airport Greeter/Ensemble), Conrad Ricamora (Xuē Xíng), Trevor Salter (Ensemble), Kyra Smith (Ensemble), Emily Stillings (Swing), Emily Trumble (Zoe/Hillary Standby), and John Yi (Swing).
Soft Power is an exploration of America’s current place in the world, told through an East-West musical from China’s point of view, in which a theater producer from Shanghai forges a powerful bond with Hillary Clinton. Soft Power is a fever dream of modern American politics amidst global conversations, asking us all-why do we love democracy? And should we?
Soft Power features orchestrations by Danny Troob; music direction and supervision by Chris Fenwick; dance arrangements by John Clancy; scenic design by Clint Ramos; costume design by Anita Yavich; lighting design by Mark Barton; sound design by Kai Harada; sound effects design by Bart Fasbender; video design by Bryce Cutler; hair, wig, 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.
After the virtual listening party Jon Hoche and Raymond J. Lee are having a live Q & A on Jon Hoche’s Instagram live at 930 p.m.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films, making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Bev’s Girl Films’ debut short film, Hide and Seek was a top ten film in the Asian American Film Lab’s 2015 72 Hour Shootout Filmmaking Competition, and she received a Best Actress nomination. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. Lia has appeared in the filmsWolf, New Jack City, A Kiss Before Dying, King of New York, Big Trouble in Little China, The Last Dragon, Taxman. She stars in and served as Executive Producer for the short independent films Hide and Seek, Balancing Act, Rom-Com Gone Wrong, Belongingness andWhen the World was Young. She is also the Executive Producer for The Cactus, The Language Lesson, The Writer and Cream and 2 Shugahs.
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