Soft power

A Musical by David Henry Hwang

Concept Statement: 

This production visually intertwines two different worlds with the use of a play (musical) within a play. Pulling from realistic events and a specific place and time, the play opens, giving the audience a familiar, realistic, look at Brooklyn in the year 2016.  However, this environment quickly morphs into a heighted colorful dreamscape which smashes traditional Asian and American aesthetics together. 

Disguised as a golden age musical, this dream-like world paints a heightened caricature vision of America through an Asian American’s eyes. This America is charming yet politically-biting as it is warped with gun-toting desperados, iconic American landmarks and stereotypical American products and personas.

This visual collision bookends back to the beginning visual environment which started the show.  This concept hopes to give audiences a beautiful, provocative, profound, witty and reflective look at how it could be if different American experiences were spot-lighted more often.