Ashton & Menken’s Musical Confronts Capitalist Greed by Patricia L. Morin “Little Shop of Horrors” has moved to a new neighborhood. From New York’s mainly white Skid Row district, Director Jeffry Lo has cleverly planted us in a cramped Chinatown flower shop in San Francisco. Lo highlights the largest and oldest Asian community in…
Jessica Huang’s Poetic Play Exposes Asian Immigrant Abuse by Barry David Horwitz Jomar Tagatac plays Harry Chin with subtle and moving emotion, turning simple moments into stage gems. Harry emerges as a Chinese American who has learned too well the immigrants’ lessons of concealment, silence, and guilt—even though he obediently follows U.S. immigration rules….
Director Lily Tung Launches Stellar Ensemble by Cynthia K. Lopez Regardless of your time in America, there’s always that funny balancing act between your ethnic background and “fitting in” with the mainstream. In “Flower Drum Song,” Mei Li says it best when she compliments Ta: “Sometimes you seem 100 percent Chinese. Then a moment…
Millennial Notes Lauren Yee, New Wizard of Chinatown by Jordan Freed Lauren Yee is not sure Chinatown is worth saving. Her father Larry, the titular “King of the Yees,” earnestly dedicates himself to the community. Together, they carve out a new legacy for an aging Chinatown, inspired by their love of both tradition and…