San Francisco to host Monkey King opera's world premiere

He's arrogant. He's rebellious. He's becoming the most powerful being in creation, and he's about to wreak havoc on heaven.

Based on the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West, the opera production, The Monkey King, will have its world premiere at the San Francisco Opera House on Nov 14.

As a major production for the 2025-2026 season of the San Francisco Opera, the opera will run for eight performances, bringing the legendary story of the Monkey King to global audiences.

Monkey King is a beloved figure and has inspired countless interpretations.

A monkey born from stone, Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) is determined to find immortality for his tribe. Many scoff at his aspirations, but he is set on proving them wrong with his signature cunning and charm. He wins every battle against legendary warriors, but the respect he longs for is always eluding him. What will it take for the gods to recognize him as an equal?

The Monkey King is a heroic-themed opera created by composer Huang Ruo, who was born in China and now lives in New York, with a libretto by Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang. The opera, co-commissioned by the San Francisco Opera, is based on the opening chapters of Journey to the West.

Armstrong Music Arts Management Ltd, an international classical music agency and production management company, has been invited to lead the global operation of the opera. The creation of the opera not only marks a spectacular appearance of Chinese culture on the international stage but also builds a new bridge for cultural exchange between China and the world.

In 2016, the San Francisco Opera premiered the opera Dream of the Red Chamber. Armstrong Music Arts Management Ltd served as the global adviser and Chinese co-producer for Dream of the Red Chamber and co-produced the work with Beijing Poly Theatre Management Ltd in 2017. The opera was performed six times at the Poly Theatre in Beijing, Meixi Lake Grand Theatre in Changsha, Hunan province, and Qintai Grand Theatre in Wuhan, Hubei province. After the success of Dream of the Red Chamber, San Francisco Opera's general director Matthew Shilvock commissioned the creation of The Monkey King.

Asked why he decided to create this opera, composer Huang explained that during a Halloween celebration in the pandemic, he saw his child dressed as a Western superhero. This made him think about the abundance of Western superheroes in the United States, while Asia lacked similar heroes for children to dress up for Halloween. This inspired him to create The Monkey King.

The opera, lasting about two and a half hours, will be performed in both Chinese and English. It combines elements of puppetry, dance, Peking Opera, and other Chinese art forms to tell the story of how a monkey born from a stone becomes the king of the monkey tribe and challenges the Dragon Palace and the gods of the heavens.

The cast is star-studded, with each lead performer excelling in their respective artistic fields, bringing immense vitality to this opera that merges Eastern and Western cultures. Tenor Wang Kang will portray the Monkey King; tenor Konu Kim will play the Jade Emperor; and soprano Zhang Meigui will portray Guanyin. The cast includes several Asian actors who also performed in Dream of the Red Chamber.