Broadway hosts Asian and Pacific Islander Community Night to celebrate the return of -yellow faces-_1

On October 10th, the Roundabout Theatre Company hosted an Asian Pacific American Community Night, drawing hundreds of attendees from various Asian Pacific backgrounds to celebrate and promote Asian culture. The event coincided with the limited two-month return of David Henry Hwang’s classic play, “Yellow Face,” to Broadway.

“Yellow Face,” inspired by a controversial incident in the 1990s when a white actor, Jonathan Pryce, was cast as an Asian character in the Broadway musical “Miss Saigon,” explores themes of racial identity and cultural discrimination through a fictional narrative.

Hwang himself takes on the role of a Chinese American playwright who initially wrote a piece protesting the casting of white actors in Asian roles. Ironically, he inadvertently casts a white actor to play a role meant for an Asian performer. The play also touches upon events relating to Hwang’s father, Frank Hwang, a bank chairman involved in a federal investigation and accusations tied to Chinese scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was wrongly accused of espionage.

In this production, Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim plays the fictional version of Hwang. Compared to the original 2007 version, this rendition is 30 minutes shorter and does not include an intermission. Hwang revised the script, cutting certain scenes and finding that these changes enhanced the overall pacing without sacrificing the story’s integrity.

In a recent interview, Hwang credited much of his success to the early anti-“yellowface” movement. He recalled a protest at the Public Theater in 1979, which marked his entry into the theater world. At that time, Asian actors were unable to compete with a white performer for an Asian role, leading to protests outside the theater. The founder of the Public Theater, Joe Papp, ultimately compromised and began seeking out Asian playwrights, paving the way for Hwang’s Broadway debut. “When ‘Miss Saigon’ sparked protests in 1990, I felt a responsibility to join because others had paved the way for me,” he commented.

This isn’t the first time that a Broadway theater has hosted celebrations for the Asian Pacific community; a previous event was held in connection with the musical “SUFFS.” Most of the attendees at Community Night were of Chinese descent. One audience member from Hong Kong shared that he had been living in the U.S. for many years and came upon the recommendation of his girlfriend, expressing strong support for such events as important acts of cultural advocacy: “It’s vital to support Asian activism and celebrate our own culture.”

“Yellow Face” began performances on October 10th and will run until November 24th. For more information, please visit the official website: https://bit.ly/3BAaxNN.