Min Kahng is an American playwright, composer, lyricist, and musical theater creator. He is known for writing the book, music, and lyrics for his works, including The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga and Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical. KahngâÂÂs musicals for adults and for children's theatre often blend humor, characterâÂÂdriven storytelling, and underrepresented perspectives, and have been developed and premiered widely in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Kahng grew up with a deep love of musical theater and has cited Alan Menken and Stephen Sondheim as major influences on his artistic development.
Kahng first gained significant recognition with The Four Immigrants: An American Musical Manga, which premiered at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in 2017.
Kahng developed the unconventional Happy Pleasant Valley: A Senior Sex Scandal Murder Mystery Musical between 2019 and 2023, and its premiere was March 5âÂÂ30, 2025 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, followed by a June 1âÂÂ29, 2025 run at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.
Min Kahng has created seven full-length musicals for young audiences, both original and adaptations of existing material, as well as several plays for young audiences.
KahngâÂÂs work often blends humor with heartfelt storytelling. He aims to write melodies that audiences remember while ensuring lyrics remain deeply tied to character and narrative. He has described his goal as combining MenkenâÂÂstyle melodic hooks with SondheimâÂÂlike integration of music and story.
His shows frequently explore underrepresented perspectives, whether through immigrant narratives or, in Happy Pleasant Valley, the lives and sexuality of older adults. Kahng has said that while he did not initially set out to write specifically for older actors, the premise naturally aligned with his interest in representation.