Yellow Face
Daniel Dae Kim, Ryan Eggold (Photo: Joan Marcus)
By Fern Siegel (Posted 10/5/24)
“You can hire based on race, but you can’t fire based on race.” And in Yellow Face, the revival of David Henry Hwang’s 2007 play, that’s a problem.
Issues of racial casting, specifically “yellow face,” aren’t new. Luise Rainer won an Oscar for her portrayal of O-Lan, a Chinese peasant, in the 1937 film The Good Earth. Fast forward to 1993: Tony winner Hwang (M. Butterfly) is mounting his play Face Value, a response to the earlier casting of Jonathan Pryce as the brothel owner in Miss Saigon. Hwang was outraged — and Actor’s Equity initially agreed that Pryce should go — only to reverse its decision later.
The revival of the semi-autobiographical play "Yellow Face," now on Broadway at the Todd Haimes Theatre, addresses that controversy, issues of authenticity in casting and the image of Asians in pop culture. It doesn’t stint on contradictions or humor when tackling the tricky issue of race.
The thoughtful show hits all the PC buttons — and the ironies contained therein. Better: It successfully upends the idea — and controversies — surrounding casting. Its cleverness is showing both sides. First, casting according to ethnicity, so actors of any race, often excluded from productions, have a chance to represent themselves. And second, noting that nontraditional casting doesn’t need to flow in one direction. If a black actor can play a real-life white person, why not the reverse? Can a white actor play an Asian or vice-versa?
In Yellow Face, DHH (a nuanced and likable Daniel Dae Kim) mixes fact with fiction. He wants to cast an actor, Marcus G. Dahlman (Ryan Eggold) in his play. But he wonders, much like his associates, if he’s really Asian. Given Equity’s rules, he can’t ask. While he applauds Dahlman’s talents, DHH is unnerved to discover he isn’t Asian. And here’s where “Yellow Face” becomes a farce of its own creation.
To cover himself, the playwright tells interviewers: “He’s a Siberian Jew!” It’s a funny line — but leads to unforeseen complications.
Racial prejudice against the Chinese has long been part of American history — right up till Chinagate — a mid-1990s investigation into China’s influence in American politics, which also involved DHH’s father, Henry Y Hwang, CEO of the Far East National Bank. The hearings, DHH notes, unleashed racial prejudice. Given the rising antisemitism and current attacks on immigrants that’s become a fixture of American life, the play, though specific to Asian Americans, takes on added meaning.
Leigh Silverman’s smart direction is bolstered by strong performances from the seven-member ensemble cast, including Marinda Anderson, Kevin Del Aguila, Shannon Tyo, Greg Keller and Francis Jue, who shines in the role of DHH’s Jimmy Stewart-loving father. Anulfo Maldonado’s set and Anita Yavich’s costumes capture time, place and mood well. And credit Hwang with mocking his own self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
“Yellow Face” is a many-layered, provocative revival — and well worth seeing.