Performances run August 6 – September 15, 2024 in Signature's Max Theatre.
Go inside rehearsals and learn more about Signature Theatre's DC premiere of Soft Power. Soft Power is a musical fantasia with music by Jeanine Tesori (Kimberly Akimbo, Fun Home) and book and lyrics by David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Yellow Face).
David Henry Hwang speaks a bit about the history of the production, stating "My original idea was that there would be this Chinese person who would come to America and, Anna-like, teach an American ruler something important about civilizing their country. I thought that this Chinese person would teach President Hillary Clinton to solve the problem of gun violence. We did a reading of that version on election day in 2016, and the next morning, I remember calling our director, my frequent collaborator Lee Silverman, and saying, 'Okay, I think this is going to be bad for the country, but it could be good for our musical.'"