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Writing for Us
A CurtainUp Los Angeles Review
Yellow Face
By David Avery
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I’m a writer, so in the end everything is always about me.— DHH
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Hoon Lee and Peter Scanavino in Yellow Face
Photo by Craig Schwartz |
The play details the fallout from DHH (Hoon Lee) hiring non-Asian actor Marcus (Peter Scanavino) to star in Face Value, about Asian actors infiltrating a production company in "white face." This unfortunately occurs on the heels of DHH’s public protests against Caucasian star Jonathan Pryce acting in a Eurasian role in Miss Saigon’s Broadway debut. When DHH learns of his mistake he does his best to cover it up, and eventually replaces Marcus with "go-to" Asian B. D. Wong. However, the white actor who previously played Marcus, disillusioned by his experience, decides to travel to China to experience Asian culture and, after assimilating an Asian psyche returns the United States as a premiere "Asian" actor and spokesman for Asian rights. This causes DHH no end of annoyance and more than a little trepidation.
That is the first act, and as a farce of mistaken identity, it is very funny. There is a sense of self-deprecation in the words that shines through. Lee plays DHH with an earnest sincerity that compliments the action. Indignities upon indignities mount as the fallout from his disastrous play hit home. We identify immediately with DHH’s predicament.
Without giving away too much, the subject and tone of the second act are a complete surprise, and take the play in a direction that is wholly unanticipated. Rather than being jarring, the change turns the play into much more than a simple comedy but reveals Hwang’s deeper intentions. He is addressing issues of race and comes to the conclusion that perhaps being identified by one’s race, even positively, may be more of a curse than a blessing. This is a playwright that has been in the spotlight long enough to be comfortable under a microscope and his honesty truly shines through. Yes, it is fact mixed with fiction, but it is still an unflattering portrait of the artist.
Yellow Face is staged on a plain stage with only a reflective backdrop as set decoration, perhaps to emphasis the contemplative nature of the material. It’s really a one-man show that happens to have other actors assisting the lead. The supporting players are hardly non-essential, however. They provide Lee with a sounding board, and play a variety of rapid-fire roles that would challenge the most accomplished actor.
In the end, this play is less about racial politics and identity than about compromising one’s artistic vision -- giving in to pressures to be what one is not just to satisfy the crowd (or to be accepted by them). It asks if how one identifies oneself is any less important or real than what one has inherited. While it touches on some of the problems our society has in dealing with race, it does so in a way that places the responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the individual. It also does it in a way that is both humorous and touching.
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YELLOW FACE Director: Leigh Silverman Playwright: David Henry Hwang Cast: Julienne Hanzelka Kim (Leah and others), Kathryn A. Layng (Jane, Miles, and others), Hoon Lee (DHH), Tzi Ma (HYH and others), Lucas Caleb Rooney (Stuart, Rocco, and others), Peter Scanavino (Marcus), Tony Torn (The Announcer) Costume Design: Myung Hee Cho Lighting Design: Donald Holder Sound Design: Darron L. West Set Design: David Korins Running Time: Two hours (with one 15 minute intermission) Running Dates: May 10 through July 1 Times: Tues. through Sat. @ 8pm, Sundays @ 7:30pm, Sat. and Sun. @ 2:30pm Where:Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012 Tel.: 213-628-2772 Web: www.centertheatregroup.org Reviewed by David Avery on May 27, 2007. |
Easy-on-the budget super gift for yourself and your musical loving friends. Tons of gorgeous pictures.
Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide
At This Theater
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