Review Roundup: KING OF THE YEES Opens at Signature Theatre

The reviews are in for King of the Yees, Lauren Yee's semi-autobiographical comedy at Signature Theatre. Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody, the production is currently playing in the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater at The Pershing Square Signature Center, where it continues through November 15.

Blending family history, cultural identity, and theatrical storytelling, King of the Yees follows Larry Yee, a longtime member of the Yee Fung Toy Family Association in San Francisco's Chinatown. His daughter Lauren, a New York-based playwright, views the organization as a relic of a disappearing world. But when Larry unexpectedly vanishes, Lauren embarks on a surreal journey through her family's history, exploring the traditions, myths, and relationships that connect generations.

Tony Award winner Francis Jue reprises the role of Larry Yee, having previously portrayed the character in productions in Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Jue's Broadway credits include Yellow Face, for which he received a Tony Award, while his previous Signature Theatr

Michael Sommers, New York Stage Review: It is remarkable how the playwright is able to pack so many aspects of her cultural heritage so easily within a surprisingly traditional father-and-daughter story. The usually quick, terse dialogue delivers information and observations in a sprightly conversational manner, the tone is upbeat, and Yee’s affectionate portrait of her dad is disarming.

Melissa Rose Bernardo, New York Stage Review: Act 2 moves like a freight train, but director Joshua Kahan Brody doesn’t let things get out of control. And he slows the pace beautifully at the end for Lauren’s grace note of a speech, when she tells us, among other things, that “The story I wrote, this play, was not about the end, but the beginning.”

Thom Geier, Culture Sauce: Under the stop-and-go direction of Joshua Kahan Brody, the play feels like an early work where Yee hasn’t yet sharpened her sense of timing or the flow between comedic set pieces and the more serious explorations of her themes.

Gillian Russo, New York Theatre Guide: King of the Yees is less of a traditional family play and more of a formal experiment, one that's at times confounding but never boring, and sure to leave you with more questions than answers. It might also make you want to call your dad.

Loren Noveck, ExeuntNYC: All of this could easily get dizzying or ponderous, but thanks to the crispness in Yee’s writing, the clarity in Brody’s direction of the ensemble, and the wry double/triple consciousness in all of the performances that it never veers in either direction for longer than a line or two. And yes, King of the Yees does dip toward the sentimental at the end. But it’s so clever, so metatheatrical, and so affectionate throughout that I hardly minded.

James Wilson, Talkin' Broadway: In the end, King of the Yees may wear too many faces, but the cast's spirited efforts ensure that its theatrical conceits are not entirely without appeal.

Average Rating: 78.3%