Overview
- The world premiere run is set for November 14–30 at the War Memorial Opera House, with an eight‑performance schedule and a November 18 livestream available on demand through November 25.
- Diane Paulus directs, with Basil Twist overseeing puppetry, Hana S. Kim designing projections, Ann Yee choreographing, Anita Yavich creating costumes, Ayumu “Poe” Saegusa handling lighting, and Carolyn Kuan conducting.
- Tenor Kang Wang leads as Sun Wukong, joined by Konu Kim as the Jade Emperor and Mei Gui Zhang as Guanyin, with additional principal roles for Jusung Gabriel Park, Peixin Chen, Joo Won Kang, and Hongni Wu.
- Composed by Huang Ruo with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, the new work adapts Journey to the West in Mandarin and English with elements including puppetry, dance, Peking opera, and Buddhist sutras.
- San Francisco Opera highlights a largely Asian and Asian‑diaspora cast and team, with the project co‑commissioned in part by the Chinese Heritage Foundation of Minnesota.