The satire dealing with interracial dating, leaping back and forth between reality and film noir fantasy, has been seen in Canada. Wai Ching and Henry Yuk are featured, with newcomers Pun Bandhu and Mary Kickel. Previews for the Off-Broadway run begin Oct. 9 and continue to Nov. 7.
According to the playwright's website, www.martychan.com, Mom, Dad, I'm Living With a White Girl goes something like this: "Mark Gee moves in with his Caucasian girlfriend Sally, but is too afraid of telling his traditional Chinese parents about his new living arrangements. Instead, he hides the truth as he introduces Sally to Mom and Dad in the hopes that they will like her. Fears turn into fantasies as the real time scenes are interwoven with scenes from the 'Yellow Claw,' a satire on the racist movie series about a Chinese overlord trying to invade the west. The play skewers Asian stereotypes and examines the trials and tribulations of inter-racial romances. In the end, Mark must choose between his family and Sally."
Ghashiram Kotwal, a special performance of the Marathi classic which Pan Asian Rep world-premiered in 1985 with a cast of 20, will be presented as part of Indo American Alliance's Vijay Tendulkar Festival. It plays 7 PM Oct. 25.
Elizabeth Wong's China Doll, "a re-imagining of the life of glamorous Anna May Wong, Hollywood's first Asian American international film star," begins April 1, 2005, and continues in dates to be announced.
The play spans four decades, from the '20s through the '50s, and "interweaves Anna May's relationships with the legendary Marlene Dietrich, Douglas Fairbanks, Irving Thalberg and others, to triumph in a Hollywood system of limited access for Asian actors." Pan Asian Rep presents its Emerging Artists Forum of new works in laboratory performances by Solo Artists, April 27 -May 1, 2005.
Founded by artistic producer Tisa Chang, Pan Asian Rep is celebrating 27 years as the pioneer Asian American Company with modern classics on Asian themes.
Highlights of the company's history include Fairy Bones, which gave newcomer Lucy Liu her New York stage debut; the long-running Yellow Fever, a spoof of Hollywood private-eye movies toured nationally and internationally, and last season's Kwatz! The Tibetan Project, dealing with the recent tumultuous history of Tibet.
All performances play The West End Theater, in the Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew 263 W. 86th Street, Stairs to Second Floor (between Broadway and West End Avenue). For more information, call Pan Asian Rep at (212) 868-4030.
