YELLOW FACE

Glancing at one or two synopses of Yellow Face, I somehow got the false impression that this new work by David Henry Hwang was about his protest against the casting of Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon. That's a key part of the Hwang's dazzling play—and it seems to "belong" at the Public thanks to theater founder Joseph Papp's advocacy of colorblind casting as much as his willingness to recognize the complexities of the issues involved—but the humorous and thought-provoking Yellow Face covers much more than that, craftily interweaving tales of integrity and identity, deception and confession, role-playing and racism, patriotism and opportunism, and theater and journalism. Who could ask for anything more?

A great thing about expecting Yellow Face—currently extended at the Public Theater through Sunday, January 13—to be about the Miss Saigon controversy was the element of surprise as the actual play revealed itself. So I'll keep anything approaching a spoiler to a minimum. I'll just note that director Leigh Silverman seems to have had just the right touch with the strong ensemble as well as the play itself...among the "characters" is BAT favorite Jane Krakowski, who gets some prize lines...Anthony Torn does a great turn in an enigmatic role...fleeting comments attributed to assorted politicians (including Fred Thompson) demand attention...and Hwang's treatment of his own "character" is stunning. Truly a companion to Hwang's career-making M. Butterfly, Yellow Face is one of the best plays I've seen in recent years.

$20 rush tickets are available an hour before curtain; other discounts may well be available.

Here's a review of Yellow Face during its Los Angeles run.



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