Yellow Fever (play)
Encyclopedia
Yellow Fever is a play by R. A. Shiomi
which takes place on Powell Street
in Japantown, Vancouver, a gathering place for the local Japanese-Canadian culture. Set in the 1970s, the Sam Spade
-like main character, Sam Shikaze, must work to unravel the mysteries that surround him. First produced by the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
in 1982, it received positive reviews and had a successful run off-Broadway.
Characters and actors in premier production
Presented by the Pan Asian Repertory Theater,
Rick Shiomi
Rick Shiomi is a Japanese Canadian playwright, stage director and taiko artist. He is a founder and currently the Artistic Director of the Minneapolis, Minnesota based Asian American theater company, Mu Performing Arts.-Early life:...
which takes place on Powell Street
Powell Street Festival
The Powell Street Festival is an ongoing annual festival in Japantown, Vancouver. Originating in 1977 the Powell Street Festival is the largest Japanese Canadian festival and the longest ongoing community event in Vancouver...
in Japantown, Vancouver, a gathering place for the local Japanese-Canadian culture. Set in the 1970s, the Sam Spade
Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character who is the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel The Maltese Falcon and the various films and adaptations based on it, as well as in three lesser known short stories by Hammett....
-like main character, Sam Shikaze, must work to unravel the mysteries that surround him. First produced by the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
Founded in 1977 and led by Artistic Producing director Tisa Chang, the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is a New York based theatre group that explores the Asian American experience. Pan Asian Rep provides professional opportunities for Asian American artists to collaborate and create unique works...
in 1982, it received positive reviews and had a successful run off-Broadway.
Plot summary
Sam Shikaze, a smooth private-eye, narrates his own story about what happened when he was hired to find the missing Cherry Blossom Queen. He is soon trapped in a web of racism and political intrigue that seems to lead back to the Hong Kong tong's. Chuck Chan is a lawyer who tried to help solve the case, while Freda Foh Shen is a beautiful reporter who is searching for a story. Captain Kadota, an old friend of Sam's, offers his aid as a member of the police force; although, he and Sam don't see eye to eye on politics.Characters and actors in premier production
- Sam Shikaze (Donald Li)
- Rosie (Carol Honda)
- Goldberg (James Jenner)
- Chuck Chan (Henry Yuk)
- Nancy Wing (Freda Foh ShenFreda Foh ShenFreda Foh Shen is an Asian American theatre, film and television actress.In 1990 she played Carmen in Jean Genet's play The Balcony at the Hudson Guild Theater in New York....
) - Sergeant Mackenzie (Jeffrey Spolan)
- Capt. Kenji Kadota (Ernest Abuba)
- Superintendent Jameson (James Jenner)
Presented by the Pan Asian Repertory Theater,
- Raul Aranasm, Stage Director
- Tisa ChangTisa ChangTisa Chang is a Chinese American actress and theatre director from Chongqing. Her father was a diplomat and the family moved to New York City when she was a child. Chang was interested in theatre and and decided to study acting at the High School of Performing Arts and at Barnard College...
, Artistic Director - Susan Socolowski, Administrative Director
External links
- http://www.panasianrep.org
- http://www.panasianrep.org/panasian/pastplays.htm
- http://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/02/theater/theater-yellow-fever-by-the-pan-asian-rep.html