By Lina Broydo
“The Monkey King” – Welcome! The San Francisco Opera is your new palatial home… Now through November 30, 2025.
Razzle… dazzle… pizzazz… sparkle… spellbinding… shine… I am running out of synonyms to describe my heartfelt emotions and the palpitation of my heart while watching “The Monkey King,” the new spectacular production by the SF Opera. “The Monkey King” is the 8th new work to have its premiere under the leadership of SF Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock.
Tenor Kang Wang (the Monkey King), dancer Huiwang Zhang (the Monkey King dancer), and bass-baritone Jusung Gabriel Park (Master Subhuti/Buddha) are all making house debuts. Creative team members joining San Francisco Opera for the first time are conductor Carolyn Kuan, director Diane Paulus, puppetry director/set and puppetry designer Basil Twist, choreographer Ann Yee, associate set designer Sara C. Walsh, lighting designer Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa, projection designer Hana S. Kim, and Peking Opera Specialist Jamie Guan. Huang Ruo, composer and David Henry Hwang, librettist.
This world premiere production of The Monkey King utilizes both centuries-old stagecraft and 21st-century technology. Some of the chorus costumes are rooted in tradition, with street art produced through 3D printing. 4,500 yards of varied-width silks, poly silks, and a few other fabrics were used for set and scenic effects.
So rent a royal carriage and clip-clop along Van Ness Street to the legendary War Memorial Opera House to experience the magic of the “Monkey King!”
Information: for tickets visit www.sfopera.org
