(Photo credit: Joan Marcus)
A revival of David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical
fantasia dealing with the “Miss Saigon” casting
controversy and conflicts with his immigrant father.
David Henry Hwang, Yellow Face, Kevin Del Aguila, Ryan
Eggold, Marinda Anderson, Greg Keller, Shannon Tyo,
Francis Jue, Leigh Silverman, Roundabout Theater Company, Daniel
Dae Kim, Joan Marcus
“This is our Rosa Parks moment!” So, declares an Asian
American activist in this slick revival of playwright David
Henry Hwang’s exasperating Yellow Face. It is a tiresome
and disjointed dramatization of his anti-Miss Saigon militancy
and his relationship with his wheeler dealer Chinese immigrant
father. The strident tone, vapid observations and clunky structure,
render this play as unfunny and not very interesting.
Mr. Hwang’s M. Butterfly was a smash hit; he received
the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play for it, and he became
a theater world celebrity. The impending 1991 Broadway
transfer of the London hit musical Miss Saigon; incited
controversy due to the lead casting of Caucasian
Jonathan Pryce as a Eurasian. To many, this “yellow face”
selection of a white actor donning makeup to play an
Asian character, instead of casting an Asian actor was
offensive.
Hwang spearheaded a campaign to force Actors Equity to
prevent Pryce from repeating his role; they initially ruled
against it, then retracted; Pryce performed the role on
Broadway to great acclaim. Hwang lamely expands his
documentary-style scenario by having the casting of his
new play complicated by a white actor claiming to be of
mixed race. Sometime thereafter, Hwang became a board
member of the California bank his father founded, chiefly
to get the handsome fee paid to attend monthly
meetings. The bank was later investigated by the U.S.
government for aiding Chinese money laundering and
espionage. Hwang and his father faced legal
repercussions.
Yellow Face is a feeble conjoining of these two plot
threads. It may be possible to dramatize the polemics of
“yellow face” casting, but this strained show business
satire doesn’t succeed at that. Likewise, an immigrant
father clashing with his American-born son has dramatic
possibilities, but Hwang hasn’t fused these narratives into
a play that satisfyingly coheres. Jokiness abounds with
the tiresome and off-putting meta device of the central
character being a stand-in for Hwang smugly narrating
and commenting.
The charismatic Daniel Dae Kim who dazzled in the 2015
Broadway revival of The King and I, here plays Hwang’s
glib alter ego. Mr. Kim does his forceful best with his
glittering stage presence while uttering yards of inane
dialogue; he carries the show. As always, the tremendous
Francis Jue elevates the production with humor and
poignancy as the father. The energetic ensemble of Kevin
Del Aguila, Ryan Eggold, Marinda Anderson, Greg Keller
and Shannon Tyo, all perform their variety of stock stick-
figure roles with flair.
Director Leigh Silverman’s physical staging achieves
visual appeal and momentum. Arnulfo Maldonado’s neat
cube-centric scenic design allows for numerous swift
scene transitions. Lighting designer Lap Chi Chu’s vibrant
hues and bracing dimness contribute to the high-level
theatricality on display. As does Caroline Eng and Kate
Marvin’s zesty sound design and their modern original
music. Anita Yavich’s costume design ranges from
lustrously everyday to flamboyant.
Apart from upholding the current trend of a
preoccupation with cultural concerns in the arts, there
really wasn’t much reason for the Roundabout Theater
Company to revive Yellow Face. Face Value was Hwang’s
1993 effort to put the Miss Saigon casting imbroglio on
the stage: it disastrously never opened on Broadway,
having closed after eight previews. Hwang recycled this
material in his semi-autobiographical Yellow Face, which
premiered in Los Angeles in 2007, and later that year ran
for four weeks at Off-Broadway’s The Public Theater. This
production reveals it be a faulty curio rather than a lost
masterpiece.
Yellow Face (through November 24, 2024)
Roundabout Theater Company
Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 West 42 nd Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org
Running time: one hour and 40 minutes with no
intermission
A revival of David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical
fantasia dealing with the “Miss Saigon” casting
controversy and conflicts with his immigrant father.
Commentaires