Background Flower Drum Song

1 background

1.1 novel
1.2 genesis of musical
1.3 1958 plot
1.4 casting , tryouts

background
novel

c.y. lee fled war-torn china in 1940s , came united states, attended yale university s playwriting program, graduating in 1947 m.f.a. degree. 1950s, barely making living writing short stories , working chinese teacher, translator , journalist san francisco chinatown newspapers. had hoped break playwriting, instead wrote novel chinatown, flower drum song (originally titled grant avenue). lee had no success selling novel, agent submitted publishing house of farrar, straus , cudahy. firm sent manuscript elderly reader evaluation. reader found dead in bed, manuscript beside him words read scrawled on it. publishing house did so, , bought lee s novel, became bestseller in 1957.

lee s novel centers on wang chi-yang, 63-year-old man fled china avoid communists. wealthy refugee lives in house in chinatown 2 sons. sister-in-law, madam tang, takes citizenship classes, regular visitor , urges wang adopt western ways. while sons , sister-in-law integrating american culture, wang stubbornly resists assimilation , speaks 2 words of english, yes , no . wang has severe cough, not wish have cured, feeling gives him authority in household. wang s elder son, wang ta, woos linda tung, on learning has many men in life, drops her; later learns nightclub dancer. linda s friend, seamstress helen chao, has been unable find man despite shortage of eligible women in chinatown, gets ta drunk , seduces him. on awakening in bed, agrees affair, abandons her, , commits suicide.

impatient @ ta s inability find wife, wang arranges picture bride son. however, before picture bride arrives, ta meets young woman, may li, father has come san francisco. 2 support singing depressing flower drum songs on street. ta invites 2 wang household, father s approval, , , may li fall in love. vows marry after falsely accused household servants of stealing clock, though father forbids it. wang struggles understand conflicts have torn household apart; hostility toward assimilation isolating him family. in end, taking son s advice, wang decides not go herbalist seek remedy cough, walks chinese-run western clinic, symbolizing beginning accept american culture.

genesis of musical

richard rodgers

rodgers , hammerstein, despite extraordinary successes, such oklahoma!, carousel , south pacific, had suffered back-to-back broadway flops in mid-1950s me , juliet , pipe dream. while oklahoma! had broken new ground in 1943, new project in late 1950s have compete modern musicals , techniques, brutal realism in west side story, , other broadway musical hits such music man, fair lady , pajama game. rodgers , hammerstein had made rule begin work on next musical last opened on broadway, start of 1957, 6 months after pipe dream closed, pair had no new stage musical in prospect. had, however, been working since 1956 on popular television version of cinderella, broadcast on cbs on march 31, 1957. rodgers still recovering operation cancer in tooth socket, , drinking heavily , suffering depression. in june 1957, rodgers checked himself payne whitney psychiatric clinic, , remained there twelve weeks. according daughters, mary , linda, did not put stop drinking.

hammerstein, meanwhile, in los angeles @ filming of south pacific. while @ commissary, met longtime friend, joe fields, mentioned negotiating rights flower drum song. intrigued title, hammerstein asked copy of novel, , decided had potential musical – lyricist described sort of chinese life father . hammerstein consulted rodgers, , agreed make next work, written , produced in association fields. hammerstein began work in mid-1958. in july, however, fell ill , hospitalized month. forced him hurry writing, production team had hoped have show in rehearsal start of september; postponed 2 weeks. in interviews, however, hammerstein pointed out had, when necessary, written songs previous shows while in rehearsals them.

the musical retained lee s central theme – theme coursing through 20th-century american literature: conflict between old world immigrants , new world offspring . hammerstein , fields shifted focus of story, however, elder wang, central lee s novel, son ta. removed darker elements of lee s work, including helen chao s suicide after desperate fling ta, added festive nightclub subplot , emphasized romantic elements of story. according david lewis in book musical, mr. hammerstein , colleagues evidently in no mood write musical drama or invest comedic approach dramatic counterpoint of sort jud fry had given oklahoma! ... [they] took safest commercial route following eldest son s search love – popular theme @ time broadway audiences. lewis notes chao s role, though diminished in musical, nevertheless gives of darkest moments, , serves same purpose jud fry: be, in hammerstein s words, bass fiddle gives body orchestration of story . though new story less artistically adventurous earlier rodgers , hammerstein hits, innovative, daring in treatment of asian-americans, ethnic group had long been harshly caricatured , marginalized in our mainstream pop culture.

1958 plot

act i: wang ta, young chinese-american man living in father s house in san francisco s chinatown, discusses problems of finding wife aunt, madam liang ( beautiful ) before hurrying off on blind date. nightclub owner sammy fong arrives offer ta s immigrant father, master wang, old-fashioned chinatown elder. sammy s picture bride has arrived china, illegally, shy mei li wrong girl sammy, has assertive girlfriend, characteristic likes. sammy offers sign contract on wang family: free sammy contract , arrange suitable wife ta. sammy has taken liberty of bringing girl , father him; wang charmed ( hundred million miracles ) , invites them live in home on understanding if proposed marriage falls through, fong still bound marry mei li.

oscar hammerstein ii

ta s blind date proves thoroughly americanized linda low, learn sammy fong s girlfriend , stripper @ club. on date ta ( enjoy being girl ), linda lies ta career , family. ta, knowing chinese-americans college degrees find hard job befitting education, plans go law school, postponing career struggle 3 years. impetuous ta asks linda marry him. agrees, needs family consent , lies, saying has brother approve marriage. ta returns home , meets mei li, attracted him ( going here ), though ta unimpressed. changes when ta sees in western dress ( god ).

linda comes madam liang s graduation party citizenship school linda s brother (actually comedian sammy s nightclub) , presents herself ta s intended, brother giving consent marriage. extroverted, americanized woman not wang has in mind elder son, , wang , ta argue. sammy fong arrives , penetrates linda s scheme: linda, frustrated 5 years has been seeing sammy, determined marry someone, , if sammy won t step forward, settle ta. sammy strikes inviting wangs, mei li , father watch show @ celestial bar ( fan tan fannie ). linda striptease, realizing late sitting @ best table. sammy s special guests storm out, except ta, humiliated not know do. led away childhood friend helen chao, seamstress fits linda s costumes her, , love ta unrequited. linda, goaded beyond endurance when sammy raises glass her, dumps champagne bucket on head.

act ii: drunken ta spends night @ helen s apartment ( ballet ). in morning, mei li delivers master wang s coat helen mend , distressed see ta s dinner jacket there. mei li jumps conclusions , leaves horrified. ta leaves lonely helen, totally oblivious attempts interest him. wang wants bar , evil spirits shut down; sister-in-law informs him free enterprise cannot shut down, , 2 wonder @ foibles of younger generation ( other generation ). ta arrives home admit father right, mei li girl him. now, mei li wants nothing him, , lis leave wang home. sammy fong , linda decide married ( sunday ), when goes 3 family association (a benevolent association) announce linda bride, finds mei li , father there, , elders insist honor betrothal immigrant girl.

ta brings mei li wedding gift of pair of mother s earrings wore on wedding day , tries unsuccessfully hide fact in love her. wedding procession moves down san francisco s grant avenue bride, heavily veiled, carried on sedan chair ( wedding parade ). sammy drinks traditional wedding goblet, offers goblet new bride. unveiled, mei li confesses sammy s mother cannot marry sammy illegal alien – tactic learned watching american television. contract void, , gives both sammy , ta opportunity marry true loves, linda , mei li.

casting , tryouts

according rodgers biographer meryle secrest, rodgers, hammerstein , fields had hoped engage yul brynner director. brynner, had gained fame in team s 1951 hit, king , i, accomplished director. however, busy starring in sound , fury, , not negotiate release twentieth-century fox. instead, hired actor , dancer gene kelly, had never directed on stage before. kelly felt work not 1 of rodgers , hammerstein s best, long crammed show brim-full of every joke , gimmick in book, work .

miyoshi umeki played mei li

the 3 producers sought chinese, or @ least asian, actors fill cast, idea was, @ time, considered risky . in 1950s, there relatively few asian-american actors; rodgers believed asians avoided acting because of shyness. critics note, in case, asian-americans had found few opportunities in mainstream theatre. joshua logan recommended young japanese actress, miyoshi umeki, whom had discovered , cast previous year opposite marlon brando in film sayonara (for won best supporting actress oscar); cast mei li. cast keye luke, known charlie chan s number 1 son, master wang. rodgers , hammerstein considered young talent king , might fit parts, , came teenager patrick adiarte, filipino-american had played several of young princes grew up, before finishing crown prince, chulalongkorn. talented dancer, cast wang san, ta s thoroughly americanized younger brother. pat suzuki, japanese-american had been interned during world war ii, recent arrival in new york had made strong positive impressions singing on such television programs tonight show (with jack paar) , ed sullivan show. became first linda low, ta s nightclub love interest renamed.

the team found difficult fill remaining places in company asian performers, in chorus. 4 other shows asian themes had opened or in rehearsal in new york, , demand few asian actors strong. kelly , show s choreographer, carol haney, journeyed cities across country seek out talent. agents sent other cities; in honolulu, found nightclub singer , native hawaiian ed kenney, originate wang ta. meanwhile, in new york, 3 producers visiting dance schools. advertisement in new york chinatown newspapers received 1 response. no formal audition held in san francisco s chinatown, , find forbidden city nightclub comedian goro jack suzuki (who changed name jack soo), cast frankie wing, comedian @ sammy fong s celestial bar. role of fong proved difficult cast. initially, given larry storch, nightclub comic, during boston tryouts, given caucasian, larry blyden, married carol haney, show s choreographer. role of madam liang, master wang s sister-in-law, fell juanita hall, light-skinned african american had played tonkinese (vietnamese) woman, bloody mary, in south pacific. african-american performer, diahann carroll, considered cast not hired. rodgers later wrote, important actors gave illusion of being chinese. demonstrates 1 of wonderful things theatre audiences. people want believe see on stage, , gladly go along whatever done achieve desired effect. ask them accept ezio pinza frenchman [in south pacific], yul brynner siamese , prepared meet 9 tenths of way before curtain goes up.

when rehearsals began in september 1958, hammerstein absent, still recuperating surgery. rodgers present, kept falling asleep. hammerstein told son james kelly ineffective director, , began attending rehearsals. number of changes made songs. best love , song master wang, @ first thought better suited sister-in-law, when juanita hall not make work, song cut entirely. rodgers , hammerstein transformed song entitled beautiful beautiful . team decided include song sammy fong explain mei li should not wed. in span of few hours, wrote lyrics , music don t marry me . once songs finalized, robert russell bennett, had orchestrated several of creators successful previous shows, did same score of flower drum song.

the musical opened tryouts on october 27, 1958 @ boston s shubert theatre. audience gave enthusiastic response, causing rodgers leave seat repeatedly , race of theatre, looking hug. boston critics thought of work, stating after show polished, hit. shortly after boston opening, fields suffered heart attack, and, after release hospital, had return new york recuperate. author c. y. lee, had quietly watched rehearsals, recalled that, @ boston performances, hammerstein have secretary mark on script sound of chairs squeaking, indicating audience restless. hammerstein rewrote of book expand focus ta himself romantic relationships of 2 couples.