San Francisco Opera commissions Huang Ruo’s `The Monkey King’ for 2025 premiere, based on novel

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Opera has commissioned Huang Ruo to compose “The Monkey King” for a fall 2025 premiere — based on an episode from the 16th century Chinese novel “Journey to the West.” The company said Tuesday that David Henry Hwang is writing the libretto with a mix of English and Chinese. Diane Paulus will direct a production with scenic design and puppetry by Basil Twist. In the novel, a monkey born from stone acquires supernatural powers and seeks immortality. The company’s 2024-25 season opens Sept. 6 with Verdi’s “A Masked Ball.”