The Theatre of David Henry Hwang

Description

Since the premiere of his play FOB in 1980, the Chinese American playwright David Henry Hwang has made a significant impact in the U. S. and beyond. The Theatre of David Henry Hwang is the first book to provide an in-depth study of his plays and other works in theatre. Beginning with his “Trilogy of Chinese America” written in the early 1980s, Esther Kim Lee traces all major phases of his playwriting career. Utilizing historical and dramaturgical analysis, she argues that Hwang has developed a unique style of meta-theatricality and irony in writing plays that are both politically charged and commercially viable. The book also features four essays written by scholars of Asian American theatre and a comprehensive list of primary and secondary sources on his oeuvre. This comprehensive study of Hwang’s work follows his career both chronologically and thematically. The first chapter analyzes Hwang’s early plays, “Trilogy of Chinese America,” in which he explores issues of identity and cultural assimilation particular to Chinese Americans. Chapter two looks at four plays characterised as “Plays for the Mainstream,” where it is argued that Hwang has developed a unique dramaturgical style of meta-theatricality and irony to both critique and deconstruct culturally accepted norms. Chapter three explores his style in depth with a discussion of Hwang’s more recent plays such as Yellow Face and Chinglish. The fourth chapter examines Hwang’s work in opera, musicals with particular attention paid to Flower Drum Song, a musical by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, II, and Joseph Fields. The final section provides a comprehensive compilation of sources: a glossary of terms, a list of Hwang’s works, reviews and archives, and a bibliography. Title Page Copyright Page Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1 The Trilogy of Chinese America: Magic Realism and the Californian Cool FOB The Dance and the Railroad Family Devotions Chapter 2 Beyond Chinese America: Love, Death and Resurrection The House of Sleeping Beauties The Sound of a Voice As the Crow Flies Rich Relations Chapter 3 M. Butterfly The Story and Style of M. Butterfly The Production of M. Butterfly Criticisms and Interpretations of M. Butterfly The Legacy of M. Butterfly Chapter 4 Identity Politics and Multiculturalism in the 1990s Bondage Face Value Trying to Find Chinatown Golden Child Chapter 5 The Irony and Rhetoric of the Global Millennium Yellow Face Chinglish Kung Fu Chapter 6 Other Critical Perspectives ‘Something Beyond and Above’: David Henry Hwang’s Revision of Flower Drum Song David Henry Hwang’s Golden Opportunities Butterfly and Locust: Chinglish and Asian American Theatre in the Transnational Context A New Butterfly Syndrome Post-colonial, Anti-Locust Rhetoric Meta-theatrical Parallelism Conclusion Chronology Notes Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Bibliography I. Primary sources on David Henry Hwang II. Secondary sources: Newspapers, magazines, production program and websites III. Secondary sources: Critical studies Notes on Contributors Index