Kara Wang and Matthew Jaeger Lead CHINGLISH, Starting Tonight at East West Players
East West Players (EWP), the nation's longest-running professional theatre of color in the country and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, continues its 50th Anniversary Season, Golden, with the comedic play "Chinglish," by Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and directed by Jeff Liu. Generous support for this production is provided by the S. Mark Taper Foundation Endowment for East West Players.
An American businessman who is desperately looking to score a lucrative contract for his family's firm travels to China only to learn how much he doesn't understand: his translators are unreliable, his consultant may be a fraud, and he is captivated by Xi, the beautiful, seemingly supportive government official who talks the talk - but what is she saying, anyway?
"As the namesake of our theater, it is only fitting that a work by David Henry Hwang, be a part of our 50th Anniversary Season. David is truly a trailblazer in expanding the spectrum of stories that explore the Asian American experience and 'Chinglish' is his latest and the most relevant in reflecting the global world in which we live." says Tim Dang, Producing Artistic Director. 'Chinglish' is a smart and comedic way of examining how lines, and cultures get crossed in international relations."
The cast features Kara Wang (Chen Kaige's Caught in the Web and Daniel Hsia's Shanghai Calling) as Xi Yan, Matthew Jaeger as Daniel Cavanaugh, Jeff Locker as Peter Timms, Ben Wang as Cai Guolang, Leann Lei as Miss Qian and Prosecutor Li, Ewan Chung as Bing and Judge Xu Geming, Joy Yao as Zhao.
The design team includes: set design by Hana Sooyeon Kim, lighting design by Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz, costume design by Yuheng Dai, sound design by Dennis Yen, and props by Michael O'Hara. Stage manager is Sylvia Trinh.
All performances will be staged at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center of the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Previews are tonight, September 10 through Saturday September 12 at 8pm and Sunday September 13 at 2pm. All preview seats are $23.
Opening Night for "Chinglish" is Wednesday, September 16 at 8pm and includes a 7pm pre-performance cocktail reception, and a post-show reception with the cast and creative team. Opening Night is sponsored by Edison International. Call theater for availability. "Pay-What-You-Can" Performance is on Thursday, September 17.
A talkback with the cast and creative team is on Sunday, September 27 immediately following the performance. A special talkback with playwright David Henry Hwang is also scheduled for Saturday, September 26 after the 8pm performance. The production runs until October 11.
Regular performances run Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets may be purchased online at www.eastwestplayers.org or by calling 213.625.7000. Regular tickets range from $28-$38. Student and Senior discounts available. Dates, prices and details are subject to change.
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