NEW YORK—Reality mixes intriguingly with fiction as playwright David Henry Hwang shines a bright spotlight on the touchy subject of racism by putting himself front and center in the hilariously funny (and deadly serious) semi-autobiographical tale Yellow Face.
Recalling the fallout from his involvement in the Miss Saigon episode of 1990, (involving producer Cameron Mackintosh's decision to cast Caucasian actor Jonathan Pryce in a lead Eurasian role in that musical), Hwang (portrayed here by Hoon Lee) writes Face Value, a backstage farce, with his own take on the subject.
But in his desperate effort to find an unknown Asian actor for the starring role, he selects, through a serious of implausible, but crazy enough to be true circumstances, an actor named Marcus (Noah Bean), who turns out to be White. By the time Hwang learns the truth, he must keep the deception going in order to save the show, thus making him a party to this conspiracy.
There's also the fact one can't be fired solely on the basis of race (one of several "reverse" issues raised in the play). To add to Hwang's crisis, Marcus is enthusiastically adopted by the Asian community, becoming involved in their various causes, such as pushing for racial equity.
As Hwang tries to expose the truth, he finds himself beset on all sides from people who don't seem to care or point to all the good Marcus has done. Soon it begins to seem like Hwang is the one out of step with the times.
What at first seems to be a gentle satirical tale, takes a darker turn in act two. Hwang's father (the excellent Francis Jue), who founded the first Asian-American-owned federally charted bank in the United States, finds himself under investigation over large amounts of money from China which has been deposited into his institution (charges were later dropped).
Also figuring into the story are various inflammatory comments from political figures and the FBI interrogation of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a Chinese-American nuclear scientist who was suspected of treason and spent eight months in solitary confinement before being released.
Perhaps the most pivotal scene in the play is a meeting between Hwang and an (unnamed for legal reasons) New York Times reporter who seems to have a very strong and biased agenda, and which illustrates the extreme power of the printed word in influencing opinion.
While many of the characters and situations seem larger than life, though all fit perfectly into the story, that impression is tempered with the very real knowledge that many of the incidents depicted can and do happen in this country.
Perhaps saddest of all is the observation by Hwang that even people who have lived in America for over half a century and have become valued members of their community can be simply seen as dangerous foreigners when under suspicion of anything.
Towards the end of the show, Hwang throws in a brilliant final twist, which pulls the rug out from under the audience and illuminates the central theme (and message) of the play for all to see. That in a perfect world race doesn't matter, but that we are far from being in such a place; and what is acceptable and what is not (be it the casting of a play, or the action by the government) is a slippery slope that changes as per the times and the outward faces each of us wear.
Lee is excellent as Hwang, who goes through half the show wearing an expression of dumbfounded disbelief but, as he demonstrates, is clearly nobody's fool. Bean is very strong as Marcus, portraying someone who has found a home and community where he least expects; while Jue becomes the heart of the show as Hwang's father, a great believer in America and what is has to offer to everyone, until he's crushed by the very system he once loved.
Jue's final scene with Lee is full of quiet dignity showing a man beaten down, but still quite proud and ready to go out on his own terms. The rest of the cast is also quite good, with Anthony Torn a standout as the menacing reporter.
Leigh Silverman's direction is strong, while David Korins' set (basically a bare stage with a few chairs and props) work well; as does the lighting (by Donald Holder) and costumes (by Myung Hee Cho). Also a key element in the story is the enjoyable soundscape by Darron L. West.
Yellow Face is a work that definitely should be seen and one hopes the show will soon move elsewhere upon the conclusion of this off-Broadway run.
Also in the cast are Julienne Hanzelka Kim, Kathryn A. Layng, and Lucas Caleb Rooney.
Yellow Face
Presented by The Public Theater and the Center Theatre Group
The Public Theater
425 Lafayette Street
Tickets: 212-967-7555 or www.publictheater.org
Closes: Jan. 13, 2007
Running time: Approximately 2 Hours, 15 minutes
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
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