The Orphan of Zhao at American Conservatory Theater

The season expands to global dimensions with The Orphan of Zhao, James Fenton's beautiful reinvention of a classic Chinese legend that has its roots back in the fourth century BCE. The inimitable stage and film star BD Wong (M. Butterfly, Law & Order: Special Victim Unit) will make his A.C.T. debut in this luminous production. In the aftermath of a violent coup, an epic story of self-sacrifice and revenge plays out as a young orphan discovers the shattering truth behind his origins. Often described as the Chinese Hamlet, this gripping tale was the first Chinese play to be translated in the West and has inspired countless operas, plays, and movies.