‘Yellow Face’: Asians in the arts & controversy

‘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.