winner David Henry Hwang
. It is a comedy about an American businessman desperate to launch a new enterprise in China, which opened on Broadway
October 27, 2011 with direction by Leigh Silverman.
Production History
Chinglish began at the Goodman Theatrein Chicago, IL, where it ran from June 18, 2011, until July 24, 2011. It was Hwang's second collaboration with OBIE Award
-winning director Leigh Silverman, following Yellow Face
at the Center Theater Group and The Public Theater.
Few plays in recent years have delighted me as much as Chinglish. With a career spanning more than three decades and a canon that incorporates an array of genres, David is one of the luminaries of contemporary American theater. I have admired his work since long before our collaboration on the Broadway musical Aida, and it is a thrill to welcome him to the Goodman for the first time.
-Robert Falls
Robert FallsRobert Falls is an American theater director and the current Artistic Director of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois.-Early years:Falls was born in Ashland, Illinois to Arthur Joseph Falls and Nancy Stribling...
, Goodman TheatreGoodman TheatreThe Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of Chicago theatre, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization...
Artistic Director
It was announced in Summer 2011 that the play would come to the Longacre Theatre
on Broadway with the following cast: Gary Wilmes, Jennifer Lim
, Angela Lin, Christine Lin, Stephen Pucci, Johnny Wu and Larry Lei Zhang.
Chicago
FOUR STARS! In Hwang's hilarious Chinglish, the Chinese tiger roars, American business trembles. Laughs and sexual pleasure in translation. A shrewd, timely and razor sharp comedy! David Henry Hwang's best work since M. Butterfly
M. ButterflyM. Butterfly is a 1988 play by David Henry Hwang loosely based on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a male Peking opera singer....
. -Chris Jones, Chicago TribuneChicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
One of the funniest plays in memory...Chinglish has characters not clichés - the Chinese aren't worker bees, the American isn't an arrogant idiot. -Neil Steinberg, Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-TimesThe Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
New York
“Fresh, energetic and unlike anything else on Broadway. Chinglish is a thoughtful, funny and poignant piece in which, miraculously, nothing gets lost in translation.” -Mark Kennedy, Associated Press
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
“A lethal comedy about business, sex and the failure to communicate that bristles with intelligence.” -Bloomberg
BloombergBloomberg may refer to:* Michael Bloomberg , American businessman and founder of Bloomberg L.P.; politician and Mayor of New York City...
Awards
Chinglish was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Awards, including:
- Best Production - "Chinglish"
- Director - Leigh Silverman
- Actress in a Principal Role - Jennifer Lim
- New Work - David Henry Hwang - (WON)
- Scenic Design - David Korins - (WON)
Plot
An American businessman arrives in a bustling Chinese province looking to score a lucrative contact for his family’s sign-making firm. He soon finds that the complexities of such a venture far outstrip the expected differences in language, customs and manners – and calls into questions even the most basic assumptions of human conduct.
The U.S. and China are at a critical moment in history—each nation is deeply interested in, but knows very little about the other. Chinglish was born from the many visits I’ve made to China over the past five or six years to witness the exciting changes there. During one visit, I toured a new arts center where everything was first-rate—except for the ridiculously translated English signs. It was at that moment I thought of writing this play.”
-David Henry Hwang
David Henry HwangDavid Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
, Playwright
Characters and Broadway Cast
- Daniel Cavanaugh - Gary Wilmes
- Xi Yan - Jennifer LimJennifer Lim (theatre actress)Jennifer Lim is a Chinese/Korean theatre actress most noted for her performance in the 2011 Broadway show Chinglish by playwright David Henry Hwang, appearing at the Longacre Theatre.-Personal life:...
- Miss Qian / Prosecutor Li - Angela Lin
- Miss Zhao - Christine Lin
- Peter Timms - Stephen Pucci
- Bing / Judge Xu Geming - Johnny Wu
- Minister Cai Guoliang - Larry Lei Zhang
Production Credits
- David Henry HwangDavid Henry HwangDavid Henry Hwang is an American playwright who has risen to prominence as the preeminent Asian American dramatist in the U.S.He was born in Los Angeles, California and was educated at the Yale School of Drama and Stanford University...
(Playwright) - Leigh Silverman (Direction)
- David Korins (Set Design)
- Anita Yavich(Costume Design)
- Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design)
- Darron L. West (Sound Design)
- Jeff Sugg & Shawn Duan (Projection Design)