Grace Yoo, Daniel May, Steven Eng and Director Ethan Heard Talk SOFT POWER at Signature

Interviews with SOFT POWER Stars Grace Yoo, Daniel May, Steven Eng, Director Ethan Heard @ Signature
Airs on Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2.
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My latest theater road trip was on Amtrak to Washington D.C. to see Soft Power, featuring music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Henry Hwang at Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA and celebrating the second opening night with my rock star friends in the show.
This newly revised production is directed by Signature's Associate Artistic Director Ethan Heard, with choreography by Billy Bustamante, music supervision by Chris Fenwick, and music direction by Angie Benson, and is currently running through September 15. Soft Power is a visionary musical fantasia by Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori.
After the 2016 election, when a Chinese American playwright is attacked by an unknown assailant, he hallucinates a Golden Age musical comedy about a Chinese theater producer and Hillary Clinton falling in love. Hilarious and biting, this political satire dares to ask: Does American Democracy still work? And is it worth believing in? An exhilarating ride through political absurdity with a faceoff between Chinese and American exceptionalism, Soft Power makes an electric debut in the nation's capital.
The production stars Steven Eng as DHH, Daniel May as Xue Xing, and Grace Yoo as Hillary Clinton. The cast of Soft Power is rounded out by Eymard Cabling as Randy Ray & others, Andrew Cristi as Chief Justice & others, Jonny Lee Jr. as Bobby Bob & others, Quynh-My Luu as Waiter & others, Christopher Mueller as VEEP & others, Ashley D. Nguyen as Jīng & others, Chani Wereley as Betsy Ross & others, Nicholas Yenson as Holden Caulfield & others, and Sumié Yotsukura as Flight Attendant & others. Olivia Clavel-Davis, Brian Dauglash, Emily Song Tyler, and Joey Urgino are swings.
The creative team for Soft Power includes Scenic Design by Chika Shimizu, Costume Design by Helen Q. Huang, Lighting Design by Oliver Wason, Sound Design by Eric Norris, and Wig Design by Anne Nesmith. Danny Troob is the Orchestrator, Russ Anixter is the Copyist, and Alexander Greenberg is the Music Assistant and Keyboard Programmer. Ka-Ling Cheung is the Dialect Coach and Casey Kaleba is the Fight Choreographer. Casting is by Jorge Acevedo. New York Casting is by Geoff Josselson, CSA. Kerry Epstein is the Production Stage Manager, Joey Blakely and Taryn Friend are the Assistant Stage Managers, Aria Velz is the Associate Director, Vicky Anh Pham is the Playwright's Assistant, Olivia Clavel-Davis is the Assistant Choreographer, Ashlynne Ludwig is the Associate Costume Designer, Bailey Hammett is the Assistant Costume Designer, Dominic DeSalvio is the Assistant Lighting Designer, Di Carey is the Assistant Sound Designer, and Danna Rosedahl is the Assistant Wig Designer. Musicians are Angie Benson (conductor/keyboard), Daniel Dickinson (reed 1), Tim Abbott (reed 2), Josh Thompson (horn), Kenny Rittenhouse (trumpet), John Patton (percussion), Chris Chlumsky (bass), Madalyn Navis (violin), Imelda Tecson-Juarez (viola), Amy Stennett Smith (cello). Tickets start at $40 and are available at SigTheatre.org.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media producer, activist, documentarian and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sunday at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2. Lia was recently profiled on Asian American Life. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. www.liachang.com www.liachangphotography.com