@showsiveseen David Henry Hwang's "Yellow Face" #play at @Roundabout Theatre Company starring Hollywood celebrity, @Daniel Dae Kim. Delightful Asian father portrayal by Francis Jue. We laughed, fumed, & cried. Performing till 11/24/24. Review: showsiveseen.com/10365 Photos: Joan Marcus Director: Leigh Silverman Stage Managers: Charles Means & Janet Takami #theatre #showsiveseen #broadway #yellowFace #asian ♬ People Like Us – Revel Day
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face at Roundabout Theatre Company starring Hollywood celebrity Daniel Dae Kim. Delightful Asian father portrayal by Francis Jue. We laughed, fumed, & cried. Performing till 11/24/24.
See it, especially if you’re Asian. Like most theatre productions, there were sadly few Asians in the audience despite being an Asian-themed play!
My Synopsis (No Spoilers): Autobiographical account of David Henry Hwang’s experience with historical yellow face casting controversies in the NYC theatre scene.
Synopsis from the Licensor or Theatre Company: Broadway’s new triumph is the New York Times Critic’s Pick, the “relevant, insightful, and very funny” (Greg Evans, Deadline) Broadway premiere of Yellow Face. Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, Hawaii Five-O) heads the cast of Tony Award® winner David Henry Hwang’s hilarious is-he-or-isn’t-he comedy of identity, show business, and (perhaps) autobiography, directed by Tony nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet, Suffs). Kim stars as an Asian American playwright who protests yellowface casting in the blockbuster musical Miss Saigon, only to mistakenly cast a white actor as the Asian lead in his own play. The repercussions resonate wildly in this laugh-out-loud farce about the complexities of race that “builds to a climax of startling power” (Daniel D’addario, Variety).
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Several
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Several
Static (Stationary) or Dynamic Set: Dynamic
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: To appreciate the story fully, you’ll need to know about the NYC theatre scene in the 1990s and late 1980s. I’m curious if this play would do well outside NYC since most audience members outside NYC will not be familiar with some references.
Defined Plot/Storyline: Yes
Union Actors: All
Total Actors: 7
Perceived Pace of the Show: Medium speed
Was there an intermission? No
Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.5 hours
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? Probably not, but it was good
Mainstream Appeal: Medium
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above
- Scenic Design: I’m always a fan of modern minimalism. It was reminiscent of an even more minimalist version of Company‘s scenic design. Arnulfo Maldonado uniquely designed two L-shaped shadowbox-like structures that rotated to indicate location changes in the story.
- Projection Design: Yee Eun Nam presented newspaper articles in a visually appealing way.
- Reporter: The scene between David (played by Daniel Dae Kim) and the reporter (played by Greg Keller) was well-written and skillfully executed as a great “fuck you!” moment for people with a public platform. I’m so curious how much of that account was historically accurate. I already feel a bit betrayed by a major plot point that the script later conceded wasn’t real.
- Jane Krakowski: Marinda Anderson’s(?) impersonation of Jane Krakowski was spot on, at least compared to the Ally McBeal version.
- Emotional Response: As an Asian American, I felt the indignation of the cultural appropriation and microaggressions toward Asians. My dad, too, was moved to tears by other portrayals toward the end of the show. They say that great art should evoke emotion, and this piece certainly did!
- Favorite Line: Something like “Did you catch your [non-Asian] boyfriend put butter on his rice?”
Other Musing(s) and Observation(s)
- Commentary on Yellow Face Casting: The script presented some interesting points in defense of yellow face casting. But it was hard to determine what the Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang actually intended to convey on his stance. Additionally, the show started out as a preachy morality play seemingly written for the playwright’s vain commentary, but the show eventually hit its stride and became entertaining.
Theatre Company: Roundabout Theatre Company
Venue: Todd Haimes Theatre
Venue Physical Address: 227 W 42nd St, New York, NY 10036
Venue Classification: Broadway
Price Range: $58-348 plus the ticketing fees if you’re not buying at the box office.
Ticket Affordability Options: Download the TodayTix app for digital rush tickets. You can only purchase the digital rush tickets on the app and not the website. You can also likely buy discount tickets at the TKTS booth like I did.
Dates: September 13 to November 24, 2024
Seating: Assigned Seating
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Pictures: See production pictures below by Joan Marcus.
Cast and Production Team: See pictures below.
