Photo Flash: Meet the Cast of New York Premiere of ROMANCE OF THE WESTERN CHAMBER

Bob Ost of Wildly Productive Productions and Xoregos Performing Company are presenting the N.Y. premiere of Romance of the Western Chamber, a musical adaptation (in English) of the fabled Chinese classic Xi Xiang Ji. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast in costume below!

Previously produced in English for the first time in China in 2011, Romance of the Western Chamber is a musical adaptation of one of the country's most popular and beloved classics. The story of a young couple from different classes, desperate to consummate their love despite the constraints of tradition and family disapproval, and often considered the Romeo & Juliet of the East, the production features book & lyrics by Howard Rubenstein and music by Max Lee, and will be directed by Shela Xoregos.

This exciting N.Y. premiere will feature an ensemble of Asian-American actors including Charles Pang and Jessica Wu (A Chorus Line) as the beleaguered lovers, Philippine-born soprano Joy Abalon-Tamayo as the disapproving mother, Mari Uchida as the classic Chinese matchmaker Hong-niang, plus Mark Andrew Garner, Albert Hsueh, Jee Heng Liao (Anything Goes Off-Broadway), Tony Romero (Tokyo Can Can Off-Broadway), Musa Hitomi(The Little Mermaid Off-Broadway), Takashi Hosoi (The King and I) and Ying Zhang (Warlovers at Theatre Row).

The production will feature music direction by Erich Rausch, scenic design by Sal Perrotta, lighting design by Joyce Liao, costume design by Jessa-Raye Court, choreography by Mandarin Wu, and stage management by Mary-Cate Mangum. Casting by Robin Carus Casting.

Romance of the Western Chamber will play a strictly limited engagement of 14 performances, beginning Thursday, September 14 at TADA! Theater (located at 15 W. 28th Street, 3rd Floor), with an opening night scheduled for Saturday, September 16, 2017. Performances will take place according to the following schedule: Thursdays & Friday at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 8pm; and Sundays at 3pm.

Tickets for the N.Y. premiere of Romance of the Western Chamber are available for purchase online at www.SmartTix.com. Tickets for preview performances on September 14 & 15 at 8:00pm start as low as $20, with all other performances offering seats as low as $25. For more information about the production, including ticket pricing and complete performance schedule, visit www.RomanceOfTheWesternChamber.com.

Photo Credit: Charles Chessler

The Battle to save the village - villainous Flying Tiger (Mark Andrew Garner, right) versus noble General Du (Jee-Heng Liao, left)

Noble beauty Ying-Ying (Jessica Wu, left) strolls through the easter pavilion gardens with her clever handmaiden Hong-Niang (Mari Uchida, right)

It's love at first sight for student Chang (Charles Pang, left) when he glimpses beautiful Ying-Ying (Jessica Wu, right) strolling through the gardens of the Buddhist monastery with her handmaiden Hong-Niang (Mari Uchida, center).

Can lovestruck student Chang (Charles Pang, left) win and woo the lovely highborn Ying-Ying (Jessica Wu, right) under the watchful eye of her disapproving mother Lady Tsui (Joy Tamayo, center)?

The principals, from left to right: imperious Lady Tsui (Joy Tamayo), reverent Superior (Tony Romero), noble General Du (Jee-Heng Liao), lovestruck Chang (Charles Pang), flirtatious Ying-ying (Jessica Wu), cunning Hong-Niang (Mari Uchida) and villainous Flying Tiger (Mark Andrew Garner). *Not shown: haughty Lord Cheng-Heng (Albert Hsueh) and dancers Musa Hitomi, Takashi Hosoi and Ying Zhang.