I attended the second of eight San Francisco Opera performances in the world premiere run of Huang Ruo’s and David Henry Hwang’s opera “The Monkey King”.
With this new work, San Francisco Opera continued its production of operas based on great Chinese classical literature. Nine years ago the first of these extraordinary operas, Bright Sheng’s and David Henry Hwang’s “The Dream of the Red Chamber” was mounted [World Premiere Review: “The Dream of the Red Chamber” Transforms into a Fascinating Opera – San Francisco Opera, September 10, 2016] and revived six years later.
It is one of the strengths of this production that major voices are enlisted for each role in this large cast.
“The Monkey King” is derived from the first part of a Ming Dynasty classic “The Journey to the West”. The classic relates the extraordinary adventures of Sun Wukong, an immortal being named “The Monkey King”, on his journey towards Buddhist enlightenment.
Kang Wang’s Monkey King
[Photo: Kang Wang as the Monkey King; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
In his San Francisco Opera debut, Chinese tenor Kang Wang displayed a lyric-spinto tenor voice, with the power and durability to excel in this challenging role. His character emerges from a rock where he has been imprisioned for 500 years, and comes under the influence of the compassionate deity Guanyin, who persuades him to begin a journey of enlightenment.
Wang’s character is doubled by the incredible Dancer Huiwang Zhang, dressed in an identical costume. Tenor Wang proved himself to be a gifted physical performer, skilled in dance and body movement. In the opera’s final scenes, the Monkey King, who has amassed power, takes to heart the Buddha’s teaching that one cannot achieve a blissful state by amassing self-serving power or power without compassion.
Born in China to professional opera singer parents, Wang moved to Australia as a teenager, pursuing musical studies at Brisbane’s Queensland Conservatorium. An alumnus of the Theater Basel (Switzerland) and New York Metropolitan Opera’s young artists’ programs, Wang was a 2017 finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Mei Gui Zhang’s Guanyin
[Photo: the deity Guanyin (Mei Gui Zhang), in her lotus leaf, sails across the sky; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
Chinese soprano Mei Gui Zhang performed the role of the deity Guanyin, who commits to following and guiding the Monkey King through his travels. Much of Zhang’s ethereally sung performance was spent sailing above the stage in an enclosure representing a lotus leaf.
This is the second San Francisco Opera opera based on classical Chinese themes in which Zhang has participated. She starred in the company’s 2022 revival of Bright Sheng’s and David Henry Hwang’s opera [Review: A Pleasing Revival of “Dream of the Red Chamber” at San Francisco Opera, June 14, 2022]. Each of the three lead roles in that production – Zhang, tenor Konu Kim and soprano Hongni Wu, perform roles in “The Monkey King”.
Zhang also performed lead roles for San Francisco Opera in two standard repertory operas – that of Euridice [Review: Orlinski’s Astounding, Acrobatic Orfeo: “Orfeo ed Euridice”, San Francisco Opera, November 20, 2022] and of Oscar [Review: Michael Fabiano, Lianna Haroutounian Lead a Beautifully Performed, Intelligently Directed “Ballo in Maschera” – San Francisco Opera, September 15, 2024].
A graduate of New York’s Mannes School of Music and a 2018 alumna of San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program and the Metropolitan Opera’s Young Artists’ program, Zhang represented China in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Jusung Gabriel Park’s Master Subhuti and Buddha
[Photo: Master Subhuti (Jusung Gabriel Park, left) stands with the Monkey King (Kang Wang, right); edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
In his San Francisco Opera debut season, South Korean baritone Jusung Gabriel Park portrayed Buddha’s disciple, Master Subhuti.
It is Subhuti who realizes the Monkey King’s potential. He commits to guiding the Monkey King towards enlightenment (although warning Monkey King never to reveal that Subhuti was his teacher).
Park, like Mei Gui Zhang’s Guanyin, spent much of final scenes in an enclosure above the stage. He performed as Buddha, counseling the Monkey King on how to achieve true enlightenment.
Park, whose musical training began in South Korea and has included graduate studies abroad, was a prize-winner in Placido Domingo’s Operalia 2021. He also represented South Korea in the 2021 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.
Joo Won Kang’s Dragon King Ao Guang and Lord Erlang
[Photo: Joo Won Kang as the Dragon King; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
Although supporters of Buddha, led by Guanyin and Subhuti are encouraging the Monkey King’s actions, he meets adversaries in both the undersea and celestial worlds to which he travels.
The adversaries include Ao Guang, the Dragon King, who rules the seas, the Jade Emperor who rules the Heavens, and the Jade Emperor’s nephew, Lord Erlang.
The roles of the Dragon King and Lord Erlang both are performed by South Korean baritone Joo Wno Kang,
One of the most fantastical occurrences in the opera is an episode in which the Dragon King responds to the Monkey King’s desire to obtain a powerful weapon for his future endeavors. The Dragon King states that if the Monkey King can lift the giant pillar that holds up the oceans, he can have it as a weapon. When the Monkey King lifts it up, it transforms into the size of a needle, which the Monkey King places behind his ear, as the Kingdom of the Seas collapses.
In the subsequent scenes in the Jade Emperor’s Heavenely Kingdom, Kang appears first as the Dragon King and later as the Jade Emperor’s nephew, Lord Erlang.
A 2011 alumnus of San Francisco Opera’s Merola program, Kang was awarded a two-year Adler Fellowship.
As an Adler, Kang performed four smaller roles, then returned to San Francisco Opera in the role of Ping five years later [Review: San Francisco Opera’s “Turandot” – Sonic Splendor, Visual Delight – September 8, 2017].
Konu Kim’s Jade Emperor
[Photo: the Jade Emperor (Konu Kim, right) grants a request to the Dragon King (Joo Won Kang, left); edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
The corrupt Jade Emperor (South Korean tenor Konu Kim) rules the heavens. He is approached by the Dragon King, who, unhappy with being bested by the Monkey King, requests that the latter be arrested, which the Jade Emperor orders. Kim’s powerful tenor voice was evident in an impressive performance of the rol of the Jade Emperor.
Kim, the 2016 first prize winner in Placido Domingo’s Operalia competition, later participated in the Royal Opera, Covent Garden’s Young Artists’ program..
As cited in my discussion of Mei Gui Zhang’s Guanyin, Konu Kim and Zhang were the romantic leads Bao Yu and Dai Yu in the 2022 revival performances of “Dream of the Red Chamber” and Hongni Wu (see below) was Dai Yu’s rival, Bao Chai.
Hongni Wu’s Venus Star and Crab General
[Photo: Hongni Wu as Venus Star; edited image, basd on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San pFrancisco Opera.]
Chinese mezzo-soprano Hongni Wu performed two roles, the small role of the Crab General in the undersea realm and the much larger role of Venus Star in the Jade Emperor’s heavenly realm.
Wu is the one member of the “Monkey King” cast who also performed in the world premiere of Huang Ruo’s and David Henry Hwang’s operatic version of Hwang’s play “M. Butterfly”, which took place at the Santa Fe Opera [World Premiere Run Review: Powerful Performances from Mark Stone and Kangmin Justin Kim in Ruo’s and Hwang’s Compelling “M. Butterfly”- Santa Fe Opera, August 3, 2022].
Additionallly, Wu was one of the trio of artists in this performance who formed the “love triangle” (with Konu Kim and Mei Gui Zhang) in the 2022 “Red Chamber” revival. Earlier this year, Wu performed the role of Cherubino at Santa Fe Opera [Review: Ailyn Perez Joins Santa Fe Opera’s Excellent “Le Nozze di Figaro” Cast – July 31, 2025].
Wu, a graduate of New York’s Manhattan School of Music, and is an alumna of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden’s Young Artists’ program. In 2018 she was a winnner of the New York Metropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions.
Peixin Chen’s Supreme Sage Laojun and Other Cast Members
[Photo: Peixin Chen as the Supreme Sage Laojun; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
Chinese-born bass Peixin Chen performed the role of the Supreme Sage Laojun, his sonorous deep voice adding gravity to the role.
Chen has performed the role of Sparafucile for both the Santa Fe Opera [Review: Quinn Kelsey, Georgia Jarman – Powerful Performances in Lee Blakeley’s New Santa Fe Opera “Rigoletto” – July 4, 2015] and, earlier this season, for his San Francisco Opera debut [Review: Immensely Satisfying “Rigoletto” Performance Led by Amartuvshin Enkhbat and Adela Zaharia – San Francisco Opera, September 13, 2025 ]
At Houston Grand Opera he has appeared as Don Bartolo [Review: Boogie Nights at Mozart’s “Marriage of Figaro” – Houston Grand Opera, January 30, 2016] and Oroveso [Review: Beautifully Sung “Norma” at HGO Resilience Theater – Houston Grand Opera, April 29, 2018].
Other cast members include four San Francisco Opera Chorus Members – New York tenor Christopher Jackson as the King of the North, Missouri tenor Chester Pidduck as the King of the South, Ohio tenor Jonathan Smucker as the King of the East and Rhode Island bass-baritone William O’Neill as the King of the West.
Dancers Huiwang Zhang’s Monkey King and Marcos Vedoveto’s Lord Erlang
[Photo: Chinese-born dancer Huiwang Zhang as the Monkey King; edited image, based on a Huiwang Zhang instagram photograph.]
The Monkey King in this performance is performed by both an opera singer (Kang Wang) and a dancer (Huiwang Zhang). Exhibiting extraordinary physicality, acrobatic skill and stamina, Zhang at times floats through the air on wires. A dancer for Beijing’s China National Opera/Dance Drama Theater and the Paper Tiger Theater Studio, Zhang joined New York’s Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company in 2017.
Zhang’s experience with opera includes his working with choreographer Sean Curran at Santa Fe Opera and dancing in the Metropolitan Opera’s “Aida” production.
Another paired singer and dancer (South Korean baritone Joo Won Kang and Brazilian-born American dancer Marcos Vedovetto) share the role of the Lord Erlang. The Monkey King and Lord Erlang dancers perform a fight sequence, observed by the heavenly court. Vedovetto is a tenured dancer with the San Francisco Opera.
Maestra Carolyn Kuan and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus
[Photo: Maestra Carolyn Kuan; edited image, based on a Charlie Schuck photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
Taiwanese-born Maestra Carolyn Kuan, a specialist in contemporary operas with Chinese subject matter, makes her San Francisco Opera debut as the “Monkey King” conductor.
Maestra Kuan has been the Music Director of the Hartford (Connecticut) Symphony Orchestra since 2011. She has been the conductor for four Huang Ruo World or American premieres.
In 2014, she conducted the American premiere of a revised Huo opera [Review: Santa Fe Opera Shows its Mettle in Mounting Huang Ruo’s “Doctor Sun Yat-Sen” – July 30, 2014]. In 2022, she conducted the world premiere of “M. Butterfly”, referenced above.
Last year, Maestra Kuan conducted the world premiere of another Huang Ruo-David Henry Hwang opera – “An American Soldier” at the Boston Lyric Opera. A recording of that opera has received a Grammy nomination.
Maestra Kuan’s knowledge of Ruo’s music was an invaluable resource to the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus. She obviously bonded with both entities, guiding them to a surefooted performance of Ruo’s often intricate harmonies.
See also my review Maestra Kuan’s conducting of a Mozart masterpiece [Review: Sean Panikkar, So Young Park Brilliant in Madeline Sayet’s “Magic Flute” – Glimmerglass Festival, July 20, 2015],
For my 2014 interview, see: Rising Stars – An Interview with Conductor Carolyn Kuan.
[Photo: the Monkey King (Kang Wang, center) is surrounded by a legion of monkeys (members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus); edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
The San Francisco Opera Chorus (under the leadership of Pennsylvania Chorus Master John Keene) performed brilliantly.
The Chorus, who are savvy actors in addition to fine singers, appeared in a wide range of costumes representing denizens of the realms through which the Monkey King traveled.
Director Diane Paulus and the “Monkey King” production
[Photo: Diane Paulus; edited image of a Susan Lapides photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
New York director Diane Paulus brought together the many elements of the “Monkey King” production effectivly.
Each of the lands through which the Monkey King traveled were unique environments.
The costumes, created by Chinese designer Anita Vavich were beautifully crafted. The dances by Ohio Choreographer Ann Yee were memorable.
The scenic design employs projected images and often minimaiist staging created by puppeteer Brian Twist (see below).
California designer Basil Twist, Washington Associate Set Designer Sara C. Walsh, South Korean Projection Designer Hana S. Kim and New York Lighting Designer Ayueesmu “Poe” Sakousa, contribute to the absorbing scenery of realms through which the Monkey King passes.
[Photo: projected images and jellyfish puppets create the Dragon King’s undersea realm; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
Puppeteer/Puppetry Designer Basil Twist
[Photo: When the Monkey King (Kang Wang, lower right) is given the supposedly meaningless title of King of the Stables, he releases all the heavenly realm’s royal horses (Basil Twist puppets); edited image, based on a Cory Weaver photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.]
Puppeteer Twist’s team is present throughout the performance, and adds immeasurably to the success of the performance.
These include many variations of various sizes of the Monkey King himself.
The production’s scenic design is immeasuably enhance by the puppets that populate the undersea and heavenly realms.
Huang Ruo’s Composition and David Henry Hwang’s Libretto
The San Francisco Opera continues its exploration of Chinese classical literature, highlighting the continued collaboration of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang, who created the opera
[Photo: Composer Huang Rao (right) and Librettist David Henry Hwang (left); edited image, based on an Instagram photograph.]
The third ruo/Hwang collaboration since 2022, it is an extraordinary achievement, a brilliant addition to the operatic repertory.
Final Thoughts
I have been attending San Francisco Opera performances since I was in middle school, and have been present in opera houses on three continents to review opera performances for this website. I can attest that “The Monkey King” is unlike anything I have ever seen, and heralds new ways to enhance the opera experience.
I strongly recommend the opera and this production, and look forward to other works on classical Chinese themes from this collaborative team.