Jeanine Tesori & David Henry Hwang's World Premiere Soft Power Wins Big at L.A. Ovation Awards

The celebrated world premiere production of Soft Power, a new musical by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home) and David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly), was honored with six L.A. Ovation Awards on January 28. The musical debuted at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre in the spring of 2018.

Soft Power triumphed in the categories Book for an Original Musical (Hwang), Lyrics/Composition of an Original Musical (Tesori and Hwang), Music Direction (David O.), Costume Design (Anita Yavich), Lead Actress in a Musical (Alyse Louis) and Best Production of a Musical (Large Theatre).

Broadway alum Louis (Amélie) co-starred alongside Conrad Ricamora (The King and I) in the CTG engagement, which was directed by Leigh Silverman and choreographed by Sam Pinkleton.

Featuring book and lyrics by Hwang and music and additional lyrics by Tesori, Soft Power rewinds recent political history and plays it back, a century later, through the Chinese lens of a future beloved East-meets-West musical.

The story centers on a Chinese executive (Ricamora) who is visiting America and finds himself falling in love with a good-hearted U.S. leader (Louis) as the power balance between their two countries shifts following the 2016 election.

For a full list of 2019 L.A. Ovation Award winners, click here.