 |
| Anna and Dr Amanda Rogers at Thursday’s Yellow Face press night |
 |
| Amanda and Charles Shaar Murray on press night |
 |
| Kevin Shen (who plays DHH in Yellow Face) introduces today’s Q&A session with David Henry Hwang and Dr Amanda Rogers |
 |
| Amanda and David in the Yellow Face Q&A |
 |
| David Henry Hwang |
To the spanking new Park Theatre in north London for the British premiere of David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face only 20 years after David’s Tony-award winning M Butterfly which starred Anthony Hopkins was a smash hit on Broadway and beyond. (As he wrote one of the few parts for east Asian women, practically all young actresses have played the chilly Comrade Chen in various productions … including me!)
It’s a sparkling stylish comedy, witty, clever and very tightly directed and acted. And it’s made a timely appearance in the wake of the RSC The Orphan of Zhao controversy, having something to say about the absurdity of judging human beings by their skin.
Actor Kevin Shen, who produced and stars as the leading character (a certain award-winning playwright called “DHH”), said his production company had offered it to all the theatres who turned it down on the grounds it wasn’t “commercial”, so thank heavens for the Park Theatre for having the vision to take it on.
My review will be published in the Morning Star on Wednesday. I gave it four stars.
You have until 16th June to catch it.
Review, interview, South China Morning Post column, and video of the Q&A to come …