Political conspiracy meets show biz intrigue in a mixture of show tunes, swing music, and traditional Chinese music. The Dragon Empress of China is the story of Empress Cixi, the 19th Century figure who rose from a palace concubine to become the de facto ruler of China for over 40 years. Cixi uses sex, deception, manipulation and cunning intelligence to rise in a society dominated by men. By controlling they royal children, she leads her country into revolution, war, and finally to ruin though her desperate lust for power. Yet the unrepentant and defiant empress still serves as a feminist role model.

Sixty years later, in 1942, due to the wishes of powerful Chinese refugee Madame Lu, the story of Cixi has been transformed into a nightclub show at San Francisco’s “Forbidden City.” The intrigues and power plays of China are acted out as a series of songs and scenes as the MC of the show is forced to turn history into entertainment.

At the Forbidden City, Asian performers mimic American celebrities while seeking their own identities. Billy, the MC, is king of the stage, but secretly terrified of the FBI because he is Japanese. Judy who plays Cixi is dealing with the prospect of her third abortion. Tommy the magician is a struggling drag performer. The minor players, Johnny and Sally, are pushing for their chance to move up the show biz ladder. Above all the mysterious Madame Lu struggles to bring her historical message to an indifferent crowd. On stage, emperors, empresses, princes, and generals struggle for power. Off-stage singers and dancers confront racism and the hard knocks of show biz as two competitive professions, politics and show biz, collide.