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

On the evening of October 10th, the Roundabout Theatre Company hosted an Asian Pacific Islander Community Night, drawing hundreds of attendees from various Asian and Pacific Islander backgrounds in an effort to promote Asian culture. The event coincided with the return of renowned Asian American playwright David Henry Hwang’s classic play “Yellow Face,” which has begun a limited two-month run on Broadway.

“Yellow Face” was inspired by a controversial incident from the 1990s when white Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce was cast as an Asian character in the Broadway musical “Miss Saigon.” Hwang crafted this comedy around that controversy to explore themes of racial identity and cultural discrimination through a fictional narrative.

Interestingly, Hwang himself is a central character in the story—a Chinese American playwright who initially wrote a piece critiquing white actors portraying Asian roles. However, he inadvertently ended up casting a white actor to fill a role meant for an Asian performer. The plot also delves into Hwang’s father, Hwang Jung-moon, who faced scrutiny over a foreign political donation scandal while serving as the chairman of the American National Bank of the Far East, as well as the wrongful accusations against Chinese scientist Wen Ho Lee, who was falsely labeled a spy.

The current Broadway performance features Korean American actor Daniel Dae Kim portraying the fictional version of David Henry Hwang. This adaptation is 30 minutes shorter than the original 2007 version and does not include an intermission. Hwang revisited the script, cutting certain scenes and discovering that this not only maintained the integrity of the play but also enhanced its pacing.

In a media interview, Hwang noted that much of his success can be traced back to the early anti-“yellowface” movement. He recalled a 1979 protest against the Public Theater where a white actor was cast in an Asian role, prompting Asian American actors to rally outside the venue. This led the theater’s founder, Joe Papp, to begin seeking Asian American playwrights, paving the way for Hwang’s entry into Broadway. “When ‘Miss Saigon’ sparked protests in 1990, I felt a responsibility to join in, as someone had once opened doors for me,” he shared.

This isn’t the first time a Broadway theater has dedicated a community celebration to Asian Pacific Islanders; similar initiatives have been held for productions like “SUFFS.” Many attendees at the Asian Pacific Islander Community Night were of Chinese descent, including one audience member from Hong Kong who noted he had lived in the U.S. for many years and was brought to the event by his girlfriend. “I wholeheartedly support events like this because they celebrate our culture, and it’s vital to support Asian activism,” he emphasized.

“Yellow Face” will continue to perform from now until November 24th. For more information, visit the official website: https://bit.ly/3BAaxNN.