Soft Power NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (149)
See it if some nice tunes derivative of known Broadway musicals. Nice sets. Ricamora is the only saving grace.
Don't see it if Other than Ricamora, the acting is really not great. This is aimless and all over the place. What is the plot? Read more
See it if You want to see an original musical. It's well intentioned.
Don't see it if Show was all over the place. First Act has some strange musical numbers like the Hillary Clinton burlesque number in McDonalds... Strange.
See it if If you want to see something original at the public. It gets confusing at times to what they try to portray in the show.
Don't see it if If you dont like light weight. It's nothing great. As lite as Hillary and the Hillary at Mc Donalds.
See it if Musical satire showing a warped version of US culture from a Chinese perspective. Lush music w/full orchestra & strong vocals.
Don't see it if No real plot; a collection of SNL-like sketches. Repeated themes get tiresome: guns, democracy, romantic love vs familial duty. Read more
See it if u want to see a very meta geopolitical musical that takes on Hwang's very real personal trauma & America's very real political drama.
Don't see it if u hope for a new work of genius from this powerhouse creative team; ur not prepared to accept an overstuffed but half-baked work-in-progress Read more
See it if Tesori's lush score, Silverman's robust staging & Ramos' lavish designs all conspire to strengthen Hwang's interesting but overstuffed drama
Don't see it if A horrible opening segment gradually opens up to reveal a panoramic view of America & it's discontents Political & personal never quite gel
See it if Grand is the musical-play that seeks to engage the target audience it singles out to indict:USA leads culture after rescuing the unaware.
Don't see it if Meta multi-genred yellow perspective of the white worldview using accepted Asian cliches are deterrents to serving both involved parties. Read more
See it if you are a fan of original musical theatre pieces. This is not based on a movie from the 80's or 90's.
Don't see it if you are easily confused. There is a lot going on, so concentration is imperative. Read more
Critic Reviews (24)
"In the Musical ‘Soft Power,’ China Whistles the Tune: A complex look at democracy from an Asian perspective turns 'The King and I' inside out."
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"The awkward first 30 minutes of 'Soft Power' aren't musical at all, and we can tell from all the throat-clearing that the team feels hesitant about jumping into such a wild-spirited spoof…When Tesori's lush music starts, the play sighs with relief: Nothing, it turns out, buoys your post-2016 spirits like an orchestra in full swoon."
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"Flipping the Classic Musical Script in 'Soft Power'"
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"Tony Award winners David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori collaborate on a 'musical-within-a-play,' satirizing American-Chinese relations and featuring a post-election Hillary Clinton as a major character."
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"The American musical — and America — are reconsidered in this powerfully smart and entertaining show."
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"Singing China’s Praises: The new David Henry Hwang-Jeanine Tesori musical tackles cultural diplomacy in the age of Trump in a smart and touching fashion."
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"Directed with the right balance of dry wit and shameless razzmatazz by Leigh Silverman, 'Soft Power' boasts one of the most appealing and hard-working ensembles onstage today."
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"Ever wondered how China sees America? ‘Soft Power’ offers amusing ideas."
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