‘YELLOW FACE’: Daniel Dae Kim & Ryan Eggold. Photo: Joan Marcus.

YELLOW FACE
By David Henry Hwang
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through November 24, 2024
Todd Haimes Theatre
227 W. 42nd St
https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2024-2025/yellow-face/

By Scott Harrah

White actors in blackface in old movies are mostly a thing of the distant past, but whites portraying Asians were much more common in the mid to late 20^th century.  From Mickey Rooney playing a stereotypical caricature of a Japanese man in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) to David Carradine portraying an Asian in the popular 1970s TV show “Kung Fu” to British actor Jonathan Pryce, a white Welshman, playing a Eurasian character on Broadway in 1990 in Miss Saigon, the history of whites playing “Orientals” has been particularly offensive and cringe-worthy. The story surrounding the controversy over Miss Saigon is the launching point for 90 minutes of dark humor and satire about portrayals of Asians in the entertainment world in David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical play, Yellow Face.

Mr. Hwang’s play originally appeared off Broadway at the Public Theater back in 2007, with the same director, Leigh Silverman. The play received mediocre reviews back then, but half an hour has been cut and this Broadway production is now tight and fast-moving, and is just as topical in 2024. Issues of race, identity, and the need for cultural representation in the arts are still controversial nearly two decades later.

Daniel Dae Kim stars as DHH, obviously based on playwright David Henry Hwang. The story unfolds in 1990 as DHH, the first Asian American playwright to win a Tony Award (for M. Butterfly), is spearheading a movement to make British mega-producer Cameron McIntosh re-think the casting of white actor Jonathan Pryce portraying a Eurasian in Miss Saigon. Although Mr. Pryce sold many tickets over in London, DHH feels that the American production should have an actor of Asian descent for many reasons. Because Mr. Pryce was a big name at the time, Cameron McIntosh ultimately got his wish and the Welsh actor was cast in the Broadway production.

DHH, feeling defeated, writes the play Face Value and casts Marcus (Ryan Eggold), a white actor from Seattle with no Asian ancestry, in the lead role of an Asian. At this point, Yellow Face delves into a bit of wonderful satire. DHH cannot find an Asian actor he thinks is right for the role, so he invents a fake ancestral history for Marcus. When Marcus tells the playwright that he has both Russian and Jewish blood, DHH comes up with the absurd idea that Marcus is a “Siberian Jew” and uses this bogus history to justify casting the actor.

When Face Value flops and closes in previews on Broadway, DHH realizes he has not been true to his culture and why he needs to be more of an advocate for Asian Americans in the theater.

The story includes subplots, most notably DHH’s Chinese American father (Francis Jue), a successful banker in California. DHH’s dad is living the American dream, modeling himself after his hero, Jimmy Stewart. Scenes between DHH and his ambitious father are among the show’s most powerful and moving. As DHH struggles financially, his father offers him a lucrative seat as a board member of the Far East National Bank—a position the playwright reluctantly accepts. However, taking the job has negative consequences when criminal allegations are made against the bank by the U.S. government.

What’s most remarkable about Yellow Face is the humor Mr. Hwang has inserted into the story. What could have easily been a heavy-handed tale of inclusivity is instead a witty, insightful, often hilarious look at a serious topic that pokes fun at multicultural casting while still demonstrating why cultural representation is so vital in 21^st century America. Director Leigh Silverman has done a brilliant job fine-tuning the narrative while also getting fine performances from the cast, with standout performances by Mr. Kim and Mr. Jue as well as trenchant acting from many supporting cast members. Yellow Face is thought-provoking and powerful, and one of the fall season’s must-see show

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 6, 2024
Reviewed at October 2, 2024 press performance

‘YELLOW FACE’: Daniel Dae Kim. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘YELLOW FACE’: (left to right) Francis Jue, Marinda Anderson, Kevin Del Aguila, Daniel Dae Kim, Ryan Eggold & Shannon Tyo. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘YELLOW FACE’: Francis Jue & Daniel Dae Kim. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘SUFFS’: Jenn Colella & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

SUFFS
Book, music & lyrics by Shaina Taub
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Choreography by Mayte Natalio
Music Box Theatre
239 West 45th Street
(212-239-6200), www.suffsmusical.com

By David NouNou

Suffs by Shaina Taub is one of this season’s more ambitious musicals, if for no other reason the subject matter it tackles.

Starting out in 1913, the women’s movement for the right to vote in America is being spearheaded by the suffragists or “suffs,” as they call themselves. Headed by Alice Paul (Shaina Taub) and joined by activist Lucy Burns (Ally Bonino), lawyer and peace activist Inez Milholland (Hannah Cruz), Polish-American factory inspector Ruza Wenclawska (Kim Blanck) and women’s rights activist Doris Stevens (Nadia Dandashi), they are the new generation that is pushing to get enough states to pass the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. On the more temperate and established side, the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) is headed by Carrie Chapman Catt (Jenn Colella).  Ms. Chapman Catt and NAWSA  want to help pass the 19^th Amendment, but believe women must persuade men in softer, less aggressive ways, such as saying “allow Mother to vote.”

Alice Paul has more radical ideas about getting the 19^th Amendment passed, and she soon breaks away from NAWSA and creates the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, later known as the National Woman’s Party in 1916. Alice Paul’s group uses more aggressive types of civil disobedience to encourage President Woodrow Wilson (Grace McLean) to support women’s right to vote.

As with any movement, it is ongoing, with endless problems. The women mentioned earlier are fighting for the white women’s right to vote. Matters are further complicated when the Black women, headed by Ida B. Wells (Nikki M. James), want women of color to be able to vote as well, and how well that would work down South. Also, where in the parades will they be placed? This is all under the term of President Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson wanted the whole movement to go away by throwing the marchers or agitators into prison and torturing them.

The subject matter is heady and historical, but not always satisfying. Instead of a flowing narrative, it seems more like episodic scenes attached one after another to make a complete musical. The book is repetitious at times. However, the score by Ms. Taub is remarkable. The score propels the story forward more clearly than the convoluted book and is very enjoyable.

Being a large ensemble but headed by Ms. Taub as Alice Paul, there are some exceptional performances, including Kim Blanck, Ally Bonino, Jenn Colella, Hannah Cruz, Nadia Dandashi, and Nikki M. James. Most have beautiful singing voices and wonderful stage presences.

Director Leigh Silverman certainly had her hands full with such serious subject matter and an extraordinarily large cast, and she often makes it work, but some of the less necessary scenes could have been trimmed.

There is a wonderful touch at the end when the new generation steps in and starts to take over while Alice Paul watches. It is awe-inspiring seeing what those women achieved, but one can’t help but watch in horror thinking how Roe vs. Wade has been overturned or considering what recently happened in Arizona with the strictest abortion bans, with a law from the 1800s now being enforced after a controversial ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court. What would the women in Suffs have thought and done today? Suffs shows that, no matter how far women have come, there is still a long way to go for women’s equality in modern-day America.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published April 22, 2024
Reviewed at April 21, 2024 press performance

‘SUFFS’: Hannah Cruz (center, on horse) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘SUFFS’: Nikki M. James (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘SUFFS’: Anastacia McCleskey, Laila Erica Drew & Nikki M. James. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘SUFFS’: Shaina Taub. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘SUFFS’: Tsilala Brock & Grace McLean. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘SUFFS’: Hannah Cruz. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘SUFFS’: Emily Skinner. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘GRAND HORIZONS’: James Cromwell & Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

GRAND HORIZONS
Written by Bess Wohl
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through March 1, 2020
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
(212-541-4516), www 2ST.com

By David NouNou

Sustaining a marriage for 50 years is difficult. However, writing a good, sustainable comedy that doesn’t sound or read like a script from a TV sitcom these days is even harder. Playwright Bess Wohl has achieved this feat with Grand Horizons. Watching Nancy (Jane Alexander) and Bill (James Cromwell) for a few minutes setting up their dinner table and sitting down to eat, and Nancy nonchalantly uttering “I want a divorce,” is a wonderful starter.

Nothing is extraordinary about this situation and this doesn’t mean the play doesn’t have its shortcomings and filler, but what is extraordinary is the genuine laughter that playwright Ms. Wohl achieves. Grand Horizons is the name of the retirement home that Bill and Nancy live in. The remarkable cast elevates the material to hysterical heights.

The divorce isn’t so much about Nancy and Bill but how it affects their two sons: the older Ben (Ben McKenzie), his wife Jess (Ashley Park), and their younger son Brian (Michael Urie), a high-school drama teacher. The three are there to form an intervention against this divorce. In the process they discover their own shortcomings, the disillusionment of unhappy parents as they were growing up and their parents’ own secrets. The divorce stems from Nancy discovering Bill has been “sexting” Carla (Priscilla Lopez).

The setups aren’t new but there is a freshness to the tone. There is crispness to the dialogue, but the humor also comes with fillers. One such scene is Brian bringing a one-nighter (Maulik Pancholy) to his parents’ home. The scene is to establish Brian’s feelings about his parent’s divorce but the one-nighter is horny and isn’t interested in anything but sex. The scene has genuine truths in it, but is highly implausible.

What keeps the material afloat is the wonderful acting by an all-star cast, and I must admit I am a sucker for an all-star cast. Starting with Jane Alexander, long absent from the New York stage, making a regal comeback. Having first seen her in The Great White Hope, though the material here isn’t as compelling, she hasn’t lost her touch or command of the stage. She, like fine wine, has matured with age but is still lilting and grand.

Having seen James Cromwell in countless movies and TV shows, it’s great to finally see him on the New York stage. He is crotchety, compelling and ideal in trying to sort his life out.

Michael Urie plays another gay character here, but is absolutely beguiling as the lost son trying to make sense of it all. He touches the nerve of why he has never been able to connect with another person and wrenches the heart with his sincerity.

Priscilla Lopez as Carla, the other woman, just dazzles in her too-brief scene with Jane Alexander as they are discussing what to do with Bill, and starting to talk intimately is civility done to perfection.

Ben McKenzie, Ashley Park, and Maulik Pancholy add to the comic hysteria at various stages in bringing in their own perspective to this scenario.

Comedy is such a rare commodity these days and we are in such desperate need to laugh during these hard times. Grand Horizons hits the funny bone and is a welcome start to the New Year.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published January 29, 2020
Reviewed at January 28, 2020 press performance.

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Ben McKenzie & James Cromwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Priscilla Lopez & Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Ashley Park & Ben McKenzie. Photo:Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Michael Urie. Photo: Joan Marcus.

“GRAND HORIZONS’: James Cromwell. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Jane Alexander. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘GRAND HORIZONS’: Michael Urie & Maulik Pancholy. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Bobby Cannavale & Cherry Jones. Photo: Peter Cunningham

THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT
Written by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell & Gordon Farrell
Based on the essay/book by John D’Agata & Jim Fingal
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through January 13, 2019
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
(212-239-6200), www.lifespanofafact.com

By David NouNou

It’s been a long dry spell in the theater since we’ve had such a direct bullseye of a play with a compelling storyline, wonderful acting, razor-sharp direction; one just can’t help but have a hell of a good time. Although the title may suggest the plot, The Lifespan of a Fact has unexpected twists that you wouldn’t expect, and it ends up being an intelligent, thought-provoking comedy and great entertainment.

Based on a 2012 essay/book written by John D’Agata and Jim Fingal, about an essayist, not a journalist, Jim (Bobby Cannavale) having his essay (not article) published by the editor of a reputable magazine, Emily (Cherry Jones). Emily hires a fact-checker, Jim (Daniel Radcliffe,) to make sure that all the details of John’s essay are indeed factual. What you need to know is that John is brash and doesn’t care for the details as long as the essay reads well from a literary perspective, Emily is a no-nonsense editor, and Jim, well you’ll have to see the show to know about Jim.

The essay is about a 16-year-old boy committing suicide by jumping off the highest point of a hotel in Las Vegas and the things that took place on that particular day. And so, starts the play with Jim fact checking the first inaccuracy of whether 31 or 34 houses of ill repute shut down on that day due to the tragedy. That is in paragraph one. Let’s just say we don’t even get to paragraph two.

Although there is no mention of any of the current lies that are coming from the White House on a daily basis, the importance of fact-checkers has never been more relevant than they are today. We once lived in innocent times when fact-checkers were being eliminated by magazines and newspapers due to budget constraints; now they are working around the clock to keep up and catch all the lies and misrepresentations and herein lies Jim’s expertise.

As I mentioned earlier, the cast is impeccable. Starting with Daniel Radcliffe who has never been better and is able to display his sharp delivery and exude a presence lacking in his previous outings on Broadway. He was mainly known as the child actor who played in all the Harry Potter movies. He is no longer a child or Harry Potter; he is simply an actor doing his best job to date and if this play had opened in April of 2019, he would have been a sure contender for the Tony. As it is still only October, April is a long way off and some performances can be forgotten, but this one is indelible.

Bobby Cannavale gives passion to John and his belief in his essay, that although it may have holes in it, he believes that’s the way it happened, and he exudes strength in his justification. Cherry Jones, who always plays the centerpiece in every show, has a secondary role but of equal importance because she has to make the decision of what is right and what would be libelous. There is a lot of strength in her performance, dividing her energy between her essayist and her fact-checker.

Leigh Silverman has directed her cast with precision and expertise; not a line is thrown away and every gesture speaks volumes. The play is in constant motion and never lags for an instant. My one regret is the play is only running till January 13, 2019. What a shame it’s not like the olden days when a straight play had a life of its own and could run as long as it needed instead of a limited engagement.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published October 23, 2018
Reviewed at October 22, 2018 press performance.

‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Bobby Cannavale. Photo: Peter Cunningham

‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Cherry Jones. Photo: Peter Cunningham

‘THE LIFESPAN OF A FACT’: Daniel Radcliffe. Photo: Peter Cunningham

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THE MORNING AFTER: Thomas Sadoski & Amanda Seyfried star in Neil LaBute’s surprisingly romantic ‘The Way We Get By.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

THE WAY WE GET BY
Written by Neil LaBute
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Through June 14, 2015
Second Stage Theatre
305 West 43rd Street (west of 8th Avenue)
(212) 246-4422, www.2ST.com

By Scott Harrah

Prolific playwright Neil LaBute has been misunderstood by some critics in the past, and that’s a shame because he’s one of the most provocative American dramatists of the 21^st century. The author of the Tony-nominated Broadway drama Reasons to Be Pretty, as well as countless Off-Broadway efforts, from Fat Pig and Some Girl(s) to Wrecks and The New Testament to the play and film The Shape of Things, always explores the dark side of the American male psyche, much like David Mamet did decades ago. However, this new one act is Mr. LaBute’s most upbeat and—dare I say it?—romantic work to date. It also offers the chance to see Broadway veteran Thomas Sadoski in the lead, opposite Hollywood star Amanda Seyfried (of Les Miserables and Mamma Mia! film fame). What’s more, the male lead is a completely likeable guy (and Mr. LaBute isn’t exactly renowned for writing sympathetic male leads).

Mr. Sadoski and Ms. Seyfriend star as Doug and Beth. They are two young people playing the singles game and aren’t committed to anyone yet, but as the story opens, we learn they have just spent the night together after a booze-soaked wedding reception they attended. Beth lives in an expensive Manhattan apartment with a roommate who’s a control freak. She’s not quite sure what she thinks of Doug, or how she can express her feelings to him.

Doug is completely infatuated with Beth, but also frustrated by not knowing where he stands with her. The play delves into commonplace topics of sexual attraction, dating and what defines people’s different perceptions of a couple. As in all Neil LaBute plays, there’s a twist. Of course, to even discuss it would be a spoiler, and Mr. LaBute’s jarring narrative techniques aren’t even the main reason to see the show.

Mr. Sadoski, nominated for a Tony for his role in Mr. LaBute’s Reasons to Be Pretty back in 2009, and seen last year in the Oscar-nominated Reese Witherspoon vehicle Wild, is at the top of his game here as Doug. From the opening scene, when he wanders around in his underwear in Beth’s apartment, looking dazed and confused, to his many proclamations of admiration for Beth, Mr. Sadoski gives an emotionally exhausting performance. He adds a level of intensity and vulnerability to Doug that goes far beyond what is written in Neil LaBute’s solid script. It’s impossible not to root for the guy.

Ms. Seyfried visually fits the part of Beth, a gorgeous blonde. Unfortunately, as accomplished an actress as she is, Ms. Seyfried—making her Off-Broadway stage debut here—doesn’t have much stage presence. Sure, she has plenty of chemistry with her co-star, but at times she cannot keep up with Mr. Sadoski’s rapid-fire delivery of Mr. LaBute’s crisp, staccato dialogue. However, let’s cut Ms. Seyfried some slack because this is her first time on the New York stage, and stage presence is something she’ll certainly develop, define and perfect over time to match her effervescent TV and film persona.

Leigh Silverman directs both actors with precision, helping them extract the sincerity and poignancy of one of Neil LaBute’s most simplistic and best works ever.

INTENSE MOMENT: Thomas Sadoski & Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Way We Get By.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

COUPLE AT A CROSSROADS: Thomas Sadoski & Amanda Seyfried in ‘The Way We Get By.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

HOLLYWOOD FILM & TV STAR MAKES HER OFF-BROADWAY DEBUT: Amanda Seyfried as Beth in Neil LaBute’s ‘The Way We Get By.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

ACTOR AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME: Thomas Sadoski gives the performance of his career in ‘The Way We Get By.’ Photo: Joan Marcus

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 19, 2015
Reviewed at press performance on May 17, 2015

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