Kung Fu: Cole Horibe to star as Bruce Lee

Cole Horibe, who was a contestant on the 9th season of "So You Think You Can Dance," is to star as 'Bruce Lee' in the world premiere of David Henry Hwan's Kung Fu, directed by Leigh Silverman, opening at the Signature Center's Irene Diamond Stage on 24 Feb 2014, following previews from 04 Feb 2014, and running through to 16 Mar 2014.

David Henry Hwang said of Cole Horibe's casting,

Obviously, a huge challenge inherent in Kung Fu was finding an actor who could credibly portray martial arts icon Bruce Lee. It was my wife, Kathryn, who first saw Cole on "So You Think You Can Dance." Knowing I was writing this show, she excitedly called me over. Cole's electrifying martial arts and dance performances immediately riveted me. He shared Bruce's charisma and even resembled him physically. Later, in his auditions for Kung Fu, he brought the same raw talent to his acting that he'd shown so brilliantly in his dance. We feel incredibly blessed to have found in Cole a star who can bring a legend to life.

Further casting for the production will be announced shortly.

Kung Fu presents a portrait of international icon Bruce Lee's journey from troubled Hong Kong youth to martial arts legend, which blends dance, Chinese opera, martial arts and drama.

Bruce Lee, a young martial artist, comes to America from Hong Kong in the 1960's, with a dream as audacious as his talent: to become the biggest movie star in the world. To do so, he must struggle to overcome the West's view of China as weak and backwards, and of Asian men as less than truly masculine.

The creative team includes Dou Dou Huang (Specialty Choreography), David Zinn (Scenic Design), Anita Yavich(Costume Design), Ben Stanton (Lighting Design), Darron L West (Sound Design) and Darrel Maloney (Projection Design).