Yellow Face
Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang’s satiric comedy, turns ideas of racial identity, political correctness and self-definition on their heads. It’s running in revival at Todd Haimes Theatre until November 24.
Streamlined for maximum hilarity and again directed by Leigh Silverman, Hwang’s partner in a genius farce with purpose, the production strikes gold. The creative team teases out a memorable, strategically stylized production likely to garner award nominations.
The play stars the on-point Daniel Dae Kim as DHH, Hwang’s auto-biographical alter ego, who can’t get out of his own way. The playwright/character fillets himself using irony and satire. As DHH relates his experiences with sharp comedy, the setting jumps into flashback, where DHH converses with notable individuals from 1988 to the present. With a poignant and equally humorous assist from the superb Francis Jue as HYH, Yellow Face affirms the absurdity of extracting identity through the superficial lens of race and background. On one level the play offers a fabulously riotous night in the theater. On another level it’s a deep exploration of the pathetic absurdity and harm of ethnic identity-masking and prejudice.
Yellow Face Asks Important Questions
The play asks pointed questions. To what extent has political correctness become its own twisted bludgeon of prejudice? To what extent have arts and entertainment been the worst transmitter of divisiveness under the guise of inclusivity?
Trouble Begins When a Protagonist Takes a Stand
After a frustrating phone call from his friend, actor B.D. Wong, DHH learns about noxious yellowface casting that he never imagined would occur on Broadway. The wonderful actor Jonathan Price, who won an Olivier in the UK musical production of Miss Saigon, will bring the role he originated to Broadway. With talent and merit Price, fitted with heavy makeup and prosthetics to appear Eurasian, made the role of The Engineer work. However, the Asian community, insulted that a white actor was selected, let it slide in London. Interestingly, the show was a big financial success and producers wanted to make more money on tour, bringing it to the US.
Annoyed that despite the strides being made in removing obstacles to employing Asians in U.S. theater, DHH feels the Price casting turns back the clock. He writes to his union, Actor’s Equity, which alerts the New York Times. When the paper publishes DHH’s letter, it creates a firestorm of controversy. This all transpires with clipped sardonic humor, as Leigh shepherds the cast with rhythm and pacing that bring in the laughs.
Stirred to Action
Producer Cameron Mackintosh gets involved threateningly. His point of view: “How can you support such a blatant restriction of artistic freedom?” Ironically, he says this after making an insensitive and politically incorrect comment. “This is a tempest in an Or***tal teapot.” Thus, the racist imperialism the Asian community accuses him of seems to fit.
Various renowned theater people and communities weigh in. Leigh directs these as rapidly as possible, delivered by an “Announcer.” After Mackintosh, casting director Vinnie Liff defends himself, claiming they looked globally for other Asian American actors. DHH retorts that John Lone of The Last Emperor called and never heard back.
Weighing in
To make matters worse, Bernard Jacobs of the Shubert Theatre organization calls DHH “a liar,” and cancels the show. Of course the fury increases. Equity relents. The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith supports Jacobs. On the other side the Asian American community demands Equity not relent. The comments taken from articles from the period pile up in rapid-fire delivery. The come from such notables as columnist George F. Will, Times critic Frank Rich, and producer Joe Papp. Even former New York City Mayor Ed Koch questions Equity’s “censorship.” However, the funniest is the Russian paper Pravda, whose position we can’t understand but can imagine: “SLUchai “Miss Saigon” demonstRIruyet, kak AmeriKANskaye OBschestva praktiKUyet tsenZUru.”
The beauty of this segment’s heightened farce relies on the actors cast in roles unrelated to their genders and races. For example, Marinda Anderson, a Black woman, portrays a white woman and a white man, Jane Krakowski and Al Gore. Kevin Del Aguila (Latino) becomes both Ed Koch and BD Wong. The political correctness arguments then, and the modern notion of it now, make one’s head spin. Where do equity and justice really lie?
Yellow Face Also Addresses Generational Racial Identity
After meeting with various groups DHH attempts to positively influence the Asian American community away from its protests and the canceling of the production. Only then does he receives a phone call from his dad, HYH, who weighs in on the “fabulous publicity.” Their conversation is wildly funny because HYH ignores the shame DHH feels.
Instead, he encourages his son to be proud at achieving his American Dream. HYH fails to understand Miss Saigon. He sees only the beautiful sex workers parading in lovely dresses. The conversation layers some of Hwang’s most humorously ironic dialogue. Against HYH’s elation, DHH cringes about Asian American identity and the masking that occurs with it.
Frying Pan, Fire
DHH then moves into a worse firestorm with increasing hilarity. After writing another play, Face Value, to encapsulate what happened fictionally with Miss Saigon, he goes off the rails. He mistakenly casts a 100% white actor as the Asian American protester. In real life, the production cast BD Wong. But for purposes of irony Hwang can’t resist making Marcus white. I belly-laughed.
An unknown actor named Marcus G. Dahlman fronts being Asian to get a part. DHH and the casting director are duped. So is Jerry Zaks, the director. So when DHH eventually discovers the truth, he must jump through hoops to cover his tracks in a funny mashup scene in front of Asian American students at a Q&A. To fire the duplicitous Marcus, he must leap through more hoops to avoid a discrimination lawsuit. We feel the further irony when Face Value bombs and never opens in NYC.
The father/son conflict
Meanwhile, HYH becomes caught up in a financial scandal involving his father, and investigators and a reporter (an excellent, weaselly Greg Keller) come sniffing. HYH enjoys the “lights, camera, action” notoriety of testifying before the Senate Banking Committee. Jue’s HYH combines the right amount of excitement, whimsy and irony. By the end, we also feel the poignance of the character’s disillusionment with the nation whose dream he attained, if for a season.
In the last section of the play one farcical detonation follows another. Marcus is unmasked as white while playing the king in The King and I. The play uplifts HYH, who traveled from one part of the globe to another with courage to live a life he made his own. Contemporary talk of deporting migrants and immigrants becomes a wicked blasphemy after we experience the heartfelt messages of Yellow Face.
Yellow Face strikes many irons and keeps them sizzling hot with humor throughout, thanks to Silverman’s exquisite direction and the amazing facility of Daniel Dae Kim, Francis Jue and the versatile and innovative ensemble. Praise goes to all the creative team who brought Silverman’s vision together, making a truly superb, humorous and thoughtfully profound production.
Yellow Face runs one hour 45 minutes with no intermission at the Todd Haimes Theater, 227 West 42 Street until November 24.
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