Our Love Is God: A Quick Recap Before the Real Work Begins

Hi Guys! Sorry for the late post but I just opened a show last night which was crazy and will begin work with Professor Brian DeMaris at ASU next week which I am super excited about! I will be working on ASU's production of The Drowsy Chaperone and through this experience I hope to gain greater insight into the production and casting aspects of theatre and why casting directors make certain decisions. The one limitation I will have in this is that my sample size will be extremely small because only the ASU theatre students are cast in productions. Other than that I think this experience will be extremely rewarding and super fun!

The show I opened last night is called Heathers. It is a musical adaptation of the movie from the 1980s which became a beloved cult classic. I am extremely fortunate and blessed to be in the first youth cast to perform this show EVER. We're making history here and of course ruffling a few feathers along the way. In the original off-Broadway production, the casting directors made a very important decision: let's make one of the Heathers non-white. The first Heather Duke to be cast was Alice Lee, an actress of Korean descent. This role is not written for an Asian or from an Asian perspective but it created a unique character that is often not scene in popular media: the Asian mean girl.

We have all had our share of mean girls whether it be through the media or through our own experiences. But the most low key and often overlooked trope is the Asian mean girl. She's smart, tough, ruthless, and can cut you into pieces with just one look. In Heathers, Alice Lee creates a beautiful dichotomy in her portrayal of Heathers Duke: she is eager to please the leader Heather Chandler by any means necessary but she is also torn between her American culture and her Asian culture. She is no just a one dimensional mean girl who is evil for the sake of being evil. For Heather Duke, being a mean girl is a survival technique so that no one questions her differences (ie her Asian heritage).    

The World Turned Upside Down: The Hamitonian Change

Hi Friends! Let's talk about Hamilton shall we? So if you've never spoken to me or have been living under a rock, Hamilton is a hip hop musical based on the life on Alexander Hamilton (yeah the dude on the $10 dollar bill). It has already won multiple awards off-Broadway and most recently won the Grammy award for Best Musical Theatre Album. After their performance at the Grammy's, many people took to social media and wrote about how diverse the cast is and how wonderful it was to see such an eclectic cast on stage. Race is only the first layer to Hamilton.

American history is inherently whitewashed. The people who have written down our history were white and told it from their point of view. What Hamilton is doing is so revolutionary because they are retelling our nation's story through the lens of modern American society. We are no longer a predominantly white society and Hamilton beautifully illustrates that. But the characters themselves are not classified as black or Hispanic or Asian. The cool thing is that all of these characters are racially ambiguous and can be played by anyone, regardless of color.

Most of the main characters in Hamilton are black or Hispanic except for one: Elizabeth Schuyler played Philippa Soo. Philippa Soo is of Asian descent and she plays Alexander Hamilton's wife. She is the sole Asian representative in this show and adds a whole other depth to the show. She's not playing an ASIAN character and more often than not those are the types of roles Asian people can find in theatre. Philippa Soo plays a woman with depth, emotions, fears, hopes, dreams, and regrets. She's playing a woman we can all relate to on some level and look up to as a role model. For young Asian-American women like me, she embodies what can be if theatre keeps progressing the way that it is.

I will be posting installments about Hamilton all throughout my project since that is the contemporary musical I am using as my main example. So stay tuned next week for more breakdowns! In the mean time, go listen to Hamilton and experience the phenomenon first time. It is truly legendary.  

Getting To Know You: Asian-American Representation in "The King and I"

In my first week of research, I got a hold of the script and score of the King and I. A wonderful Rodgers and Hammerstein classic that has been produced in every decade since its premiere in the 1950s, The King and I is one of the shows that many people who are not versed in theatre associate with musical theatre. I loved the musical when I was a child and revisiting it as a young adult has completely changed my perspective on the musical. The first time I watched the musical, I was around nine years old and was instantly swept away by the score and the costumes and the sets that I didn't really notice any of the other aspects of the musical. Mainly, none of the Asian characters were played by Asian actors.

Now it must be taken into consideration that the film was made in 1956, soon after the premiere of the musical in 1951. The concept of Asian roles being played by Asian actors was completely foreign in the industry and Hollywood sidestepped this by having Asian roles be played by white actors in yellowface. Yellowface is a form of theatrical makeup in which the performer changes their face to look more East Asian. Much like blackface or brownface, yellowface is just as demeaning and derogatory to the race in question.

The cast of the film version of The King and I featured one Asian-American actress: Judy Dan who as uncredited in the film. Everyone else in the film was either white or Hispanic (Rita Moreno played Tuptim one of the king's wives) and the king was famously played by Yul Brynner. He then went on to portray the king in a revival on Broadway.

Until 1991, every production of The King and I was never properly cast. For the half  century after the premiere of the show, every subsequent production cast non-Asian actors or, as one casting director put in 1972, "looked Asian enough" and never respected Thai culture. Even though the script has the Asian characters speaking in broken english- which is appropriate for the time period- the characters are portrayed as oriental and uncultured, particularly the King's treatment of one of his wives Tuptim. But even after the casting decisions were finally rectified, many critics still believed that many of the laughs in the show came at the expense of the Thai people not understanding the British culture.

P.S. This week's musical reference is from The King and I (if you haven't guessed yet)    

SONG OF THE DAY 15: 2/12/2016

Good Afternoon you beauties! My first week off from school has been equal amounts amazing and saddening. I'm thrilled to be doing my research and opening a show in a few weeks but I find myself missing the hallowed hallways of BASIS Scottsdale. Today's song is "Satisfied" from Hamilton because it is the ultimate power ballad and shows that every decision in life comes with ups and downs.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrbCFR1FsZk 

SONG OF THE DAY 14: 2/10/2016

Good evening Internet. I just got back from rehearsal and I'm pooped. I'm usually someone who listens to a lot of upbeat, rhythmic music that I can move to but on days like this when I'm absolutely burned out I like listening to more mellow Broadway ballads. Tonight's song is "Breathe" from In the Heights. It's a beautiful ballad that still has percussion and rhythm to it so it's the perfect song to cool down. Enjoy and have a good night! 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSQFjtszBYg 

SONG OF THE DAY 13: 2/9/2016

Good Afternoon World! Sorry for the radio silence but it has been a crazy few days. I'm in the process of finishing up my college auditions and am also in the middle of Heathers rehearsals. But school is out and I have begun doing the background research for my SRP. One of the shows I've been researching is The King and I so today's song is "Hello Young Lovers". Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQxcI7uL4o8

SONG OF THE DAY 12: 2/3/2016

It's my last day of high school tomorrow!! I'm so incredibly excited to start work on my senior research project but this moment is a little bittersweet. As I reflect back on my high school days, the song that comes tom mind is "What I Did For Love" from A Chorus Line. This song just makes me smile and cry at the same time because it's about being able to let go and move on but never forgetting the past.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HudT60L9MrU 

SONG OF THE DAY 11: 2/2/2016

Good Morning Beautiful People! We're taking a little trip to Anatevka today to the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof. Today's song is "To Life" from Fiddler on the Roof. L'chaim! 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NscuEBEXCo

SONG OF THE DAY 10: 2/1/2016

Good Morning Everyone! Sorry for the radio silence but I was in Tucson all weekend. So to make up for that today's song of the day is "Those Magic Changes" from Grease: Live. Yesterday was the broadcast of Grease: Live on Fox and it was absolutely amazing. A network finally got it right! Listen to nothing but this for the rest of the day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r25EFaif6w