San Francisco Opera To Premiere Huang Ruo And David Henry Hwang’s THE MONKEY KING In November

San Francisco Opera will present the world premiere of The Monkey King by composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang, running November 14–30, 2025, at the War Memorial Opera House.

Commissioned by San Francisco Opera in partnership with the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota, the new work reimagines the legendary story of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King — one of the most enduring heroes in Chinese culture.

Performed in English and Mandarin, The Monkey King unites opera, dance, and puppetry to depict the mythical monkey’s quest for immortality and enlightenment as he challenges the gods of the seas and heavens. The opera is based on episodes from Journey to the West, the 16th-century Ming Dynasty novel attributed to Wu Cheng’en.

Composer Huang Ruo said, “If dreams do come true, creating The Monkey King with my long-time collaborator David Henry Hwang for San Francisco Opera is one of those dreams. The Monkey King is Asia’s supreme superhero—loved and adored not only by Chinese people throughout the centuries but increasingly by people throughout the world. In our new opera, which blends cultural traditions with a spectacular multidisciplinary production, I hope to bring this Eastern superhero to life and shine a positive light that will always appear in any turbulent time.”

Conducted by Carolyn Kuan in her San Francisco Opera debut, the production is directed by Diane Paulus with puppetry by Basil Twist, choreography by Ann Yee, costume design by Anita Yavich, lighting by Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa, projections by Hana S. Kim, and Peking Opera consultation by Jamie Guan.

The cast features Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang as the Monkey King, South Korean tenor Konu Kim as the Jade Emperor, soprano Mei Gui Zhang as Guanyin, bass Peixin Chen as Supreme Sage Laojun, baritone Joo Won Kang as Dragon King Ao Guang and Lord Erlang, mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu as the Crab General and Venus Star, and baritone Jusung Gabriel Park as Master Subhuti. Dancers Huiwang Zhang and Marcos Vedovetto perform as the Monkey King and Lord Erlang.

San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock said, “It is a privilege to be telling one of the great stories of Chinese literature on the American opera stage, celebrating the piece with audiences who have grown up with Sun Wukong and introducing him to many new audiences for the first time. We hope this will become a beloved and lasting opera for the world.”

Eight performances are scheduled for November 14 (7:30 p.m.), 16 (2 p.m.), 18 (7:30 p.m.), 20 (7:30 p.m.), 22 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (7:30 p.m.), 28 (7:30 p.m.), and 30 (2 p.m.). A livestream will be available for the November 18 performance at 7:30 p.m. PT, with tickets ($25) including 48-hour on-demand access.

Tickets for The Monkey King range from $29 to $447 and are available through the San Francisco Opera Box Office at (415) 864-3330 or sfopera.com. Standing Room tickets ($10 cash only, limit two per person) go on sale the day of each performance.