Productions Flower Drum Song

1 productions

1.1 original broadway production
1.2 subsequent productions
1.3 2002 revival

1.3.1 2002 plot

productions
original broadway production

st. james theatre in 2006

after boston tryouts, flower drum song opened on broadway @ st. james theatre on december 1, 1958. sets designed oliver smith, costumes irene sharaff , lighting peggy clark.

c.y. lee sat in audience on first night; later stated had been nervous , bowled on positive audience reaction. show attracted considerable advance sales; when these exhausted, sales remained strong , sellouts norm. cast album sales similar previous rodgers , hammerstein hits. show received 6 tony award nominations, won 1 tony (best conductor , musical director, salvatore dell isola). overshadowed year redhead, though received better reviews flower drum song, , had considerably shorter run, dominated tony awards in musical categories. flower drum song ran 600 performances, longer run other musical 1958–1959 season – lasted longer of shows had competed asian performers.

midway through run, larry blyden left show , replaced in role of sammy fong jack soo, larry leung assuming role of frankie wing. production returned $125,000 profit backers on investment of $360,000. attendance began decline in december 1959, though continued draw @ above 70% of capacity level broadway play needed meet expenses. summer approaching, bad time attendance, decided close show, , last broadway performance given on may 7, 1960.

in autobiography, rodgers wrote of effect success of flower drum song had on state of mind:

the entire experience of working on flower drum song rewarding in many ways, not least of convinced me had overcome traces of depression. thought keep on doing doing, , saw nothing in future stop me.

subsequent productions

the show opened in london s palace theatre on march 24, 1960 , ran 464 performances. fewer asian performers used in london; west end production starred yau shan tung mei li, kevin scott ta, george minami wang, yama saki linda low, tim herbert sammy fong , ida shepley madam liang. production used haney s choreography, bennett s orchestrations , broadway set , costume designs, directed , supervised jerome whyte. both production , london cast album received.

following closure of broadway production, u.s. national tour began on may 10, 1960 in detroit. 4 of new york leads, hall, soo, kenney , luke, joined tour. time, hammerstein in final illness (he died in august 1960), , none of 3 producers accompanied show on road. after 3 weeks in detroit, show moved los angeles, premiere attracted star-studded audience, including 3 scandinavian princesses. san francisco gave show rapturous reception when opened @ curran theatre on august 1. lee , fields, both present local premiere, given ovations. geary street, on theatre located, decorated chinese lanterns, , marching band of chinese girl musicians played outside. tour continued successful, spending 21 weeks in chicago alone. closed on october 14, 1961 in cleveland, month before film of musical opened.

lewis calls 1961 film version of flower drum song, starring umeki, soo, hall , suzie wong star nancy kwan, bizarre pastiche of limping mediocrity . comments since 1958 version of musical revived, film in future years come stand stage musical crassly misrepresented , serve version academics , latter-day theatre critics judge when analyzed musical. film hollywood adaptation of rodgers , hammerstein musical lose money. nevertheless, nominated 5 academy awards , featured choreography hermes pan. mid-1961, musical licensed local productions. summer, san diego civic light opera filled 4,324-seat balboa park bowl overflowing highly successful run of musical. less revived company 5 years later; though still attracted large crowds, local critics complained hammerstein s view of asians outdated. other productions included successful revivals st. louis municipal opera in 1961 , 1965 , revivals in san francisco area in 1963 , 1964, both times soo sammy fong.

the musical proved difficult produce amateur , school groups, however, because requires cast either asian or made asian. professional companies found difficult round entire cast of asian singer-dancer-actors. late 1960s, musical staged, , relegated dinner theater productions. rodgers & hammerstein organization, licenses partnership s works, believes work s loss of popularity due in part increased racial sensitivity in u. s. after civil rights movement. in addition, producers found show thinly plotted, , songs not integrated organically characters , story, compared rodgers , hammerstein s popular musicals.

flower drum song came seen stereotypical , patronizing towards asians, , inauthentic, offensive in relentlessly upbeat picture of big-city chinatown . in 1983, announcement produced in san francisco started furor; producers pointedly stated show set in 1930s , have greater sensitivity toward chinese immigration problems @ time . added scene in mei li listens apprehensively radio broadcast warning dangers united states caused asian immigration. many lines of dialogue cut, , producer fred van patten stated [w]hat ve done cut things in show asians said make white people laugh. song chop suey deleted, master wang s line white men alike (based on line in c. y. lee s novel, in wang states foreigners alike). author gave rare public interview defend novel , musical adaptation. production, had been scheduled three-week run, closed early. well-attended production in oakland in 1993 adhered strictly 1958 script, though part of ballet cut lack of rehearsal time; more heavily censored 1996 production in san mateo did @ box office.

2002 revival

in 1996, while attending successful revival of king , i, chinese-american playwright david henry hwang considered whether other rodgers , hammerstein shows revived , decided work on flower drum song. chinese americans, musical represented political incorrectness incarnate. [hwang] had secret soft spot movie version. kind of guilty pleasure ... , 1 of big hollywood films see lot of asian actors onscreen, singing , dancing , cracking jokes. ted chapin, president of rodgers & hammerstein organization, announced unnamed asian playwright had approached him revising flower drum song. chapin called musical naive, old fashioned, anti-feminist story great score. ... s 1 ... needs changes. rodgers urged heirs believed have agreed (hammerstein s instructions unknown), during lifetime, widow dorothy had refused countenance major changes in plays. hwang s involvement revealed, , in 1997, c. y. lee announced rewrite had approval.

hwang given free hand dialogue; not allowed change lyrics. hwang inexperienced @ writing musicals, , producers hired veteran robert longbottom direct production , collaborate on new script, new musical has pre-existing score. character names, san francisco chinatown setting , of relationships retained, pair sought faithful spirit of both lee s novel , musical s original concept of old-world , older generation values struggling new-world temptations , desires of younger generation. concept reflected in struggle survival of wang s chinese opera company, competes more modern, americanized night club run ta. role of mei-li (as spelled in revision) expanded. character of madam liang changed wise-owl aunt savvy career woman in show business. chinatown portrayed more gritty , difficult place new immigrants, , pursuit of material success given more cynical face, in act ii. song other generation deleted; best love , had been cut in tryouts in 1958, restored in place, , next time happens imported pipe dream. new orchestrations don sebesky , music director david chase. according new york times, hwang has reshaped story elucidate 2 of own abiding thematic interests: idea of theater prism society , generational clashes of diversely assimilated immigrants.

in september 2000, after development through series of workshops, new version presented @ 2 well-attended workshops potential backers. show failed raise enough money immediate broadway run, hwang hoped extended los angeles run lead raising additional funds. revival planned 2,000-seat ahmanson theatre in los angeles, save money moved nearby 739-seat mark taper forum. producer gordon davidson engaged all-asian cast, including broadway star lea salonga mei-li. when opened on october 14, 2001, production received rave reviews los angeles critics. show regularly sold out , popular became first show @ taper extend scheduled run. closed on january 13, 2002.

virginia theatre marquee showing flower drum song

the success of los angeles run sparked sufficient investment move show broadway. half cast dismissed after los angeles run unstated reasons. mary rodgers later commented randall duk kim replaced tzi ma wang because had admired kim s performance kralahome in 1996 revival of king , i, kim unavailable los angeles run. hwang considerably altered , trimmed long script during broadway rehearsals , previews; next time happens removed show. during runup broadway opening, show received positive publicity.

opening night @ virginia theatre on october 17, 2002 attended veterans of film , 1958 production. though received warm applause audience, critics panned it. attendance near-capacity during first month of run, dropped off precipitously. producers hoped show hold out long enough boost tony awards (though nominated three, including best book, won none), in february, announced show close on march 16, 2003, after 169 performances. show s backers lost entire investment.

the production directed , choreographed longbottom, scenic design robin wagner, costume design gregg barnes , lighting design natasha katz. critic karen wada, in afterword published script, blamed sluggish economy, post-september 11 jitters, new york times mixed review, , unusually bitter winter weather unexpectedly short run. lee felt influential times review had hurt show s acceptance, commented hwang added dialogue act ii after los angeles run lee felt slowed show down. closing followed national tour garnered mixed reviews, although hwang stated received in every city except new york.

subsequent productions have favored hwang script, although older version remains available license , has received occasional revivals, including 2006 staged concert part of ian marshall fisher s lost musicals series. review in london s times compared production grander production of show boat docked @ albert hall , judged flower drum song makes more stimulating experience.

2002 plot

prologue: in 1960, wu mei-li, performer in chinese opera, flees china flower drum after father dies in prison defying communists ( hundred million miracles ).

act i: on arrival in united states, mei-li goes golden pearl theatre in san francisco s chinatown, little-attended chinese opera presented father s old friend wang chi-yang , wang s foster brother chin. 1 night week, wang s son ta turns theater nightclub, starring assimilated linda low, chinese-american stripper seattle. linda s constant companion gay costume designer, harvard (so named success-obsessed chinese parents). nightclub profitable; chinese opera not. mei-li joins opera company ( going here ) , attracted indifferent ta, favors linda. mei-li fascinated linda, urges adopt american lifestyle ( enjoy being girl ). linda signed talent agent rita liang, pushes wang turn theater club full-time ( grant avenue ), , reluctantly opens club chop suey.

ta becoming attracted mei-li, serves waitress, has competition fortune cookie factory worker chao, whom mei-li met on slow journey china, , rapidly becoming discontented america. wang unhappy, despite club s success, , no consolation crowd having time – after all, in old country, no crowd ever came theater expecting enjoy themselves. outraged @ harvard s poor acting skills, wang takes stage in place, stage instincts take on ( gliding through memories ), , enthusiastic supporter of change, taking stage name sammy fong. linda advises mei-li put on 1 of old stripper dresses attract ta, stratagem backfires, since ta attracted mei-li because of wholesomeness. ta , mei-li quarrel; takes flower drum , leaves club chop suey.

act ii: several months pass, , club chop suey has become flashier ( chop suey ). ta can not forget mei-li, , uncle chin (a janitor under new regime) advises ta pursue ( best love ). finds in fortune cookie factory working alongside chao. mei-li tells ta , chao have decided return china together, or @ least hong kong, administered british. meanwhile, wang finds himself attracted madam liang, , 2 have dinner together, though decide not marry ( don t marry me ). marry anyway.

linda announces leaving los angeles, wang s sammy fong act has taken on show, , has received better offer. ta intercepts mei-li @ docks , persuades remain in america; ta leaves club chop suey , 2 become street performers chao departs hong kong. harvard announces intention return home , attempt reconciliation disappointed parents. despite irritation @ ta, wang allows him marry mei-li @ club (which features ta s chinese opera 1 day week), company celebrates how chinese , american cultures have converged create happy moment (finale: hundred million miracles ).