We take a look at what is being said about David Henry Hwang’s comedy, playing until the 24th November.
Variety: “from its title on down, is a provocation, and it’s one vastly more complicated than any easy soundbite an activist might deliver about the values of inclusivity and sensitivity. That complication is precisely the point.”
New York Theatre Guide: “Yellow Face pushes its conversation through its racially subversive, often cheeky casting choices in the ensemble. Notably, Shannon Tyo unleashes her own sting in the various players she inhabits (among those an outraged actor ranting about Miss Saigon and a parody of titanic theatre producer Cameron Mackintosh), and it’s impossible not to feel her injecting herself into the roles. Other casting choices, like a non-Asian Kevin Del Aguila playing the Asian actor B.D. Wong, the casting tests our notions of acceptability in theatrical practices.”
Deadline: “With its minimalist sets by Arnulfo Maldonado; era-appropriate costumes by Anita Yavich ; and dreamy lighting (Lap Chi Chu) and sound (Caroline Eng and Kate Marvin) and projections (Yee Eun Nam) hinting at the time-hopping requirements of a memory play, Silverman’s smoothly directed production is likely the final say on this long-in-coming play and a decades-old theater world brouhaha. David Henry Hwang and Yellow Face get the well-deserved last laughs.”
Time Out: **** “The point of Yellow Face’s mix of metatheatrical comedy and docudrama feels even clearer now that the intermission is gone: The ongoing discussion about representation matters, however flawed it may be, because it complicates larger narratives that too often still determine how Asian-Americans are treated.”
Talkin’ Broadway: “Suddenly, things are not so funny anymore, and, undoubtedly, some in the audience will find this shift in tone to be too abrupt (and, yes, the balance is a bit off). But Hwang (the playwright if not the character) has some big questions on his mind, and he wants us to leave with something more to think about than the laughs.”
Exeunt NYC: “It is funny and messy, and not without its structural flaws. But the questions it asks of Hwang and the audience make it both a rollicking and thought-provoking evening. Further, Francis Jue, performing multiple roles, is truly moving.”
Theatrely.com: “Writing DHH as a self-important, pontifical buffon creates a challenge for Kim, a naturally appealing performer. Kim can certainly play darkness—his most famous character, Jin-Soo Kwon from Lost, is hardly a chipper fellow—but his DHH is never believably as huge of an asshole as the text demands.”
New York Theater.me: “Among such a protean comic cast, Kim, who is used to playing a chiseled leading man, holds his own; it’s a compliment to observe that he doesn’t stand out. If there is a standout, it’s probably Francis Jue (the one holdover from the 2007 Off-Broadway cast) whose principal character is HYH; he gives a charming and amusing portrait of an American immigrant patriot and naïve optimist, that turns into something more poignant.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2024-2025/yellow-face/