The new musical written by David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori starts performances tonight at the Ahmanson Theatre. Anyone going? I'm attending this weekend, so I'll make sure and report back.
Carnzee, that was absolutely hysterical. Actually, I hadn't heard anything about this until you posted, LesWickedly. And Tesori/Hwang are both "wickedly" talented and skilled at treating thick subject matter with grace and intrigue.
I saw the show tonight (2nd preview) and it's one of the hottest messes I've ever seen - the kind of trainwreck that can only be made by genuinely talented people.
The plot is an indescribable muddle involving three central characters: David Henry Hwang himself, a Chinese media mogul played by Conrad Ricamora, and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (you read that right).
Hwang's script is obvious and pandering, but VERY genuine - partially inspired by personal experience and truly honest in its attempt to reconcile dueling Chinese-American identities. It unfolds as a straight play for part of Act 1 until the music kicks in, then becomes a full-fledged Broadway style musical. Some of the numbers are so outlandish and outrageous, it would be unfair to spoil them. Tesori's music is broad and pastiche-y, more MILLIE than FUN HOME, and she's the least at fault for the material as written.
That said, the audience ate the show up tonight. It's a bizarre, unexplainable concoction, and I found myself rooting for it even though the book is going in five different directions at once. It's a tonal nightmare, inconsistent and sloppy but undoubtedly real in its exploration of American life in the Trump (whose name is alluded to but never spoken) era.
In the end, I found myself admiring the production and the actors, who are crushing it - especially Ricamora (an incredible leading man), Francis Jue as Hwang, and a truly fearless Alyse Alan Louis as Hillary Clinton herself. The cast really put the show over tonight and it was fantastic to see an almost entirely Asian ensemble, all of whom are extremely talented and passionate about the show.
If I had to describe it, I'd say it's OF THEE I SING on crack - an political satire/acid trip unlike any other I can think of. While I can't say the evening was entirely successful, I respected its intentions and it'll be interesting to see if any changes are made during the run.
By intermission I'd already decided I'm going to see it TWICE MORE.
I was planning on going when it gets to SF, just for Conrad, because I adore him, but I also can't help but loving hot messes that you want to root for, and whatever it says about me, this sounds like one I'll enjoy. (Honestly, I'm just easier to please than most and not overly picky. I can recognize flaws but easily look beyond them)
I saw the show last night. I agree with the other poster that it is kind of a hot mess - but you can't help but like it. The cast is excellent. Conrad Ricamora and Alyse Alan Louis were both standouts. It starts out as a play and then becomes a musical within the play. I found myself much more engaged during the spoken dialogue than during the musical numbers. My biggest criticism is that it just goes in too many different directions. It is a story about a playwright working on a TV show for a Chinese company, understanding his identify as an Asian American ,and dealing with being attacked, a reverse King and I story with a Chinese executive and Hillary Clinton, a random scene during the intermission of a viewing of the musical that takes place in future China, the Chinese executive's relationship with his family and the ways his cultural values clash with American values, and a look at American democracy, the presidential election and the American obsession with guns. Some of the story lines are just dropped and never really resolve. There are a few standout songs, but a lot of the music felt forgettable. I think the intention of the musical within the play is to be a satirical dream sequence - and while some of the numbers achieve that, I felt that some of the numbers needed to be even more over the top and funnier. The biggest issue is the fact that it lacks focus and the book needs to be tightened up. I found the ending and the final song to be really powerful. I did enjoy myself and I think this has the potential to be very good.
For those who have seen the show, a possibly-spoilery question...
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I'm not sure how specific the 'King and I'-ness of this show is, but I'm curious, is there an inverse 'Small House of Uncle Thomas number? Which I suppose, in context, would involve Chinese characters writing American characters who put on an supposedly American-style portrayal of a Chinese story. This question might be unanswerable depending on how SP is structured though!
Let's see - it's a hot mess but the two people who saw it LOVE IT and will be back. I just scratch my head. It's a very weird show that is kind of perfect for LA - the audiences here love this stuff because it makes them feel like they're hip and with it - they aren't, but that's another story for another day. So, for me, all the big laughs seemed very forced (I'm talking about the audience here, not the writing). And when it turns into its hallucinogenic musical it just doesn't work, at least it didn't for me. One Hillary number just goes on and on and on, pandering for applause. The final Democracy number is a joke, but the audience buys it hook, line, and sinker. The thing about shows like this is how quickly they date. And I cannot imagine this thing will ever play outside of big cities, and if they take this to NY, kiss goodbye to whatever money they spend.
I remember thinking WTF multiple times during the show but I felt I genuinely laughed.. maybe cringed and laughed a few time. I honestly didn't know what to expect of the show going in but I had an enjoyable evening. For me personally, I'm glad I watched it but I'm fine just watching it once. The performers were great.
I enjoyed the show - but didn't love it. I think it has potential and appreciated the intent of the show. I see a lot of theater and don't consider myself someone taken in by a show just because the audience loves it. I absolutely hated Allegiance and Amelie and everyone around me seemed to love those. There is just something I found very likable about Soft Power even though it is a mess and I don't often feel that way.
I saw it during previews on May 11th. This is what I wrote on my instagram: "5/5 I felt like I just saw a new Rent. Such an important show. Loved it! The music was really good too. "Hillary Clinton's" 11 o'clock number "Democracy" is going to be my new favorite showtune. WOW. Blown away!!!!"
Jose, as a "flaming liberal", I did not have a good time at this show. Big fans of both the writers, especially Tesori so I was very much looking forward to seeing this. I understood and liked the concept, but it was not executed well at all. The performers were good, but this show was mess and I couldn't wait for it to be over.
Since the Public theatre is connected to this show I'd say it is very likely. This musical didn't do much for me but it is ambitious and has potential.
Seems almost too big for the Public, but curious to see how they scale it down to fit their space and see what's worked and changed. Sometimes less is more.
If you’ve ever heard Jeanine Tesori talk about writing her own passion projects, she is ruthless. Caroline, or Change and Fun Home both took years of tweaking, writing new stuff, throwing away old stuff... she’s not afraid to start from scratch to get the main message across. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a ton of new material when it comes to New York, hopefully for the better. That’s what these out of town tryouts and workshops are for — hopefully she doesn’t follow in the footsteps of most of the other shows on bway recently.
EDIT: Upon reading more into this, it seems this is more David Henry Hwang’s project than Jeanine’s. So, who knows?
joined:2/18/13
joined:
2/18/13
Posted: 5/3/18 at 3:52pm