SFO to Present World Premiere Next Month

Composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang (courtesy of SFO)

As was announced this past spring, next month San Francisco Opera (SFO) will present the one world premiere production of the current season. The Monkey King will be an opera in two acts (separated by an intermission) composed by Huang Ruo. David Henry Hwang, known for the Broadway play M. Butterfly, prepared a libretto based on the first seven chapters of Journey to the West, the Chinese novel published in the 16th century attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is best know to English-speaking readers through Arthur Waley’s 1942 translation.

The overall narrative is one of extensive adventures, ranging from the depths of the sea to an epic battle with the gods in heaven. Those that have followed SFO for some time know that Hwang is no stranger to the history of Chinese literature. He had previously written the libretto for Bright Sheng’s Dream of the Red Chamber, which was first performed in 2016 and revived in 2022. The Monkey King is more supernatural in nature, and the scope of that broader perspective will be facilitated with puppetry designed and director by Basil Twist.

Following up on the four hours and 50 minutes of Parsifal, the duration of The Monkey King is likely to be a bit more accommodating. As of this writing, the estimated run time will be two hours and twenty minutes with a single intermission. Thus, planning for the arrival at the War Memorial Opera House will go back to “business as usual!”

Eight performances have been scheduled, two beginning at 2 p.m. on Sundays, November 16 and November 30. The evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 14, Tuesday, November 18, Thursday, November 20, Saturday, November 22, Tuesday, November 25, and Friday, November 28. Ticket prices range from $29 to $447.

All tickets may be purchased in the outer lobby of the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue or by calling the Box Office at 415-864-3330. Box Office hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday. In addition, there will be a livestream of the November 18 performance; the charge will be $25. Web pages are available both for tickets to the Opera House and for the livestream.