Yellow Face

A refreshing take on prejudice in the theatrical world and beyond.

Posted on October 21, 2024 by Joel Benjamin in Broadway, Plays

Daniel Dae Kim and Ryan Eggold in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” at the Todd Haimes Theatre (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

In 1988 the Broadway-bound musical Miss Saigon created a stir in the theatrical community and beyond when Jonathan Pryce, a fine British actor, was cast in the role of the (Eurasian) Engineer. Pryce was—and is—white. This role could easily have been cast with an Asian actor, but political and financial pressure kept Pryce in the cast. Much remonstration followed.

One of the leaders of this protest was the prize-winning playwright David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, FOB, Golden Child), whose experiences in this battle between Actors Equity, the producers of the show and the public are the jumping off point of his hilarious and moving 2007 play, Yellow Face now at the Roundabout Theatre Company’s Todd Haimes Theatre.

Ryan Eggold, Marinda Anderson, Daniel Dae Kim and Kevin Del Aguila in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” at the Todd Haimes Theatre (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

American bigotry towards Asians hasn’t been given the consideration it deserves. Hwang uses the Miss Saigon ruckus to explore his personal experiences as well as the historic ramifications of this prejudice.

Hwang has written a thinly disguised character, DHH (Daniel Dae Kim) who happens to be a playwright who won a Tony Award for M. Butterfly and who, coincidentally, had written an ill-fated play, Face Value, a heavy-handed take on the Pryce/Miss Saigon kerfuffle.

Daniel Dae Kim, Kevin De Aguila, Marinda Anderson and Francis Jue in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” at the Todd Haimes Theatre (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

This “fictional” playwright is not just the central character, but the pivot around which his personal and professional lives swirl. Such various figures as his father (here called HYH, played exquisitely by Francis Jue), Jane Krakowski/Al Gore (Marinda Anderson, witty as both and as Joe Papp and Bernard Jacobs), Cameron Mackintosh (Shannon Tyo, brilliant in this and other “real” celebrities), Ed Koch/BD Wong/Frank Rich/Fred Thompson (the delightful Kevin Del Aguila who also plays other roles) inhabit DHH’s crowded life.

DHH gets into an embarrassing pickle when he casts a decidedly white actor, Marcus Dahlman in a part clearly written for an Asian. Changing his name to Marcus Gee doesn’t help. Marcus is played brilliantly by Ryan Eggold.

Francis Jue, Marinda Anderson, Kevin Del Aguila, Daniel Dae Kim, Kevin Eggold and Shannon Tyo in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” at the Todd Haimes Theatre (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

Clearly, Hwang’s playwright-within-the-play has been on a colorful journey, full of characters that amuse, anger and move him. Hwang’s genius here is his ability to spin his real life into a fascinatingly entertaining work using all these events and characters. He is artful in balancing the lighthearted with the sardonic and the dramatic, the result being a colorful portrait.

The flier for Yellow Face shows its handsome star Daniel Dae Kim holding a mask of his smiling face away from his own scowling visage, a witty take on the Greek Comedy/Drama masks, a shorthand for Yellow Face’s richness. Of course, having Daniel Dae Kim in the central role embodies his character with depth and subtlety.

Daniel Dae Kim and Greg Keller in a scene from the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face” at the Todd Haimes Theatre (Photo credit: Joan Marcus)

Helped by Arnulfo Maldonado’s fluid modular set design, the focused lighting of Lap Chi Chu, the informative and entertaining projections and videos of Yee Eun Nam, and the witty costumes by Anita Yavich, DHH’s convoluted story easily flows from place to place and from sadness to glee.

Directed by Leigh Silverman who also directed the original production, Yellow Face runs smoothly, without an intermission. Silverman makes sure all the quicksilver moments gel with no seams showing.

Yellow Face (through November 24, 2024)

Roundabout Theatre Company

Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 West 42^nd Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-719-1300 or visit http://www.roundabouttheatre.org

Running time: one hour and 45 minutes without an intermission

About Joel Benjamin (578 Articles)

JOEL BENJAMIN was a child performer on Broadway and danced with leading modern dance and ballet companies. Joel has been attending theater, ballet and opera performances ever since childhood, becoming quite opinionated over the years. He was the founder and artistic director of the American Chamber Ballet and subsequently was massage therapist to the stars before becoming a reviewer and memoirist. He is a member of the Outer Critics Circle.