Huang Ruo’s “The Monkey King” at San Francisco Opera transforms a classic Chinese tale into a reflection on identity, enlightenment and the creativity sparked when cultures entwine.
Inside a cavernous rehearsal space near the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, the singer portraying the monk-like sage Subhuti was wielding a golden kung fu staff with serene precision. “Power alone is not enough” he intoned to the trickster hero of “The Monkey King,” Huang Ruo’s opera, which premieres this month at San Francisco Opera.
The staff came down with a sharp tap on Monkey’s shoulders — spiritual instruction with a comic jolt. (“Tough love,” murmured Diane Paulus, the production’s director.)
The Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang, a longtime collaborator of Huang’s, shaped a libretto from this unruly material, distilling its transformations and cosmic adventures into something that could live and breathe onstage.
“‘The Monkey King’ brings together the ancient classical side and the contemporary political side of his interests,” Hwang said of the composer, adding that Huang wasn’t afraid to draw from a wide range of influences.