Yellow Face David Henry Hwang Shotgun Players Following a decade in the 1990s when Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson railed against the growing influence of Chinese Americans and questioned where their loyalties really lay (going famously after nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee as a traitor), David Henry Hwang opened in 2007 his play, Yellow Face, a brilliantly scripted … [Read more...] about Yellow Face
David Henry Hwang
“Flower Drum Song”
Flower Drum SongRichard Rodgers (Music); Oscar Hammerstein II (Lyrics); David Henry Hwang (Book)Palo Alto Players Emily SongPalo Alto Players offers a gift to Bay Area audiences in producing the rarely performed Flower Drum Song, but the present is all the more welcome because of a production that is conceived and performed with the look, sound, style, and … [Read more...] about “Flower Drum Song”
“Elton John + Tim Rice’s AIDA”
Elton John + Tim Rice’s AIDAElton John (Music); Tim Rice (Lyrics); Linda Wolverton, Robert Falls & David Henry Hwang (Book)Broadway by the Bay Raquel Nicole Jeté and Shaun Leslie ThomasIn 2000, a star-studded team of Elton John (music), Tim Rice (lyrics) along with Linda Wolverton, Robert Falls, and David Henry Hwang (book) took the Verdi opera AIDA and … [Read more...] about “Elton John + Tim Rice’s AIDA”
“Tarzan’
TarzanPhil Collins (Music & Lyrics); David Henry Hwang (Book)Palo Alto PlayersJimmy Mason, Jessica LaFever & the Cast of TarzanEven before the first note of the Phil Collins (music and lyrics) and David Henry Hwang (book) musical Tarzan is sounded, Director Patrick Klein and his cast – one that includes a dozen or so gorillas of all sizes, shapes, and ages -- have … [Read more...] about “Tarzan’
“Soft Power”
Soft PowerDavid Henry Hwang (Play & Lyrics); Jeanine Tesori (Music & Additional Lyrics)Curran Theatre (in partnership with Center Theatre Group)Conrad Ricamora & Ensemble MembersIn the past twenty years, a number of twists and turns have challenged the notion of what defines the Great American Musical. Avenue Q, Spring Awakening, Next to Normal, and certainly … [Read more...] about “Soft Power”
“Chinglish”
ChinglishDavid Henry HwangPalo Alto PlayersPhoto credit: Joyce GoldschmidChris Mahle as Daniel Cavanaugh and Joyce F. Liu as Xi YanLanguage mix-ups and cultural misunderstandings abound, romance unexpectedly heats up, and hilarity permeates Palo Alto Players' current Chinglish. Presented with a superb ensemble, six of whom speak fluent Mandarin, Chinglish continues … [Read more...] about “Chinglish”
