Overview

"""I loved this show so much! I laughed hysterically and cried during moments that surprised me with feelings of recognition. This new Flower Drum Song, with its references to the new and the old, has become a kind of history of being Asian in America. It is absolutely authentic to how Chinese America has grown up."" Amy Tan, author of The Joy Luck Club ""A tremendous breakthrough in storytelling about the Asian-American experience. The humor, energy, and artistic excellence of the show make it worthwhile for people of all backgrounds."" Patrick Purdon, The Tech ""A funny and clever radical revision of the 1958 Broadway hit.""-Time magazine ""To create something new, we must first love what is old."" So says a character in David Henry Hwang's updated book to the 1958 Broadway musical Flower Drum Song by Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields. Set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the late fifties, Flower Drum Song is a funny and moving story which explores what it means to be an American and touches the history of every person whose forbears once arrived as a stranger to these shores. The new, fully revised version includes David Henry Hwang's Tony Award-nominated text, an introduction by Hwang and an afterword by Karen Wada, carefully documenting the long and vital history of this landmark musical. David Henry Hwang is the author of the Tony Award-winning M. Butterfly, Yellow Face (OBIE Award, 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Golden Child (1997 OBIE Award), FOB (1981 OBIE Award), Family Devotions (Drama Desk nomination), and the books for musicals Aida ( co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 Broadway revival), and Tarzan, among other works. David Henry Hwang graduated from Stanford University, attended the Yale School of Drama, and holds honorary degrees from Columbia College in Chicago and The American Conservatory Theatre. He lives in New York City with his wife, actress Kathryn Layng, and their children, Noah David and Eva Veanne."

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9781559362221

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Reviews

 Flower Drum Song shines in this jubilant, top-to-bottom revision. David Henry Hwang's wised-up book adds more humor and political savvy and fits perfectly into Robert Longbottom's seductive and opulent musical. - David Cote, Time Out New York Part fashion show, part nightclub act, part hymn to Asian American diversity, Flower Drum Song's intelligence may be rooted in Asian American cultural contradictions, but its heart belongs to Broadway.  John Lahr, New Yorker The dramatist and his director-choreographer, Robert Longbottom, have worked brilliantly to create a new Broadway show of high and low seriousness, which was Rodger and Hammerstein's intention in the first place.  John Heilpern, New York Observer David Henry Hwang and Robert Longbottom have retained the show's irresistible sweetness and added more of the unabashed grandeur that distinguishes Rodgers and Hammerstein's best-loved material.  Elysa Gardner, USA Today A bold theatrical operation, an artistic success, revealing a revitalized score and a dramatic complexion that's far richer than the original.  Variety Flower Drum Song shines in this jubilant, top-to-bottom revision. David Henry Hwang's wised-up book adds more humor and political savvy and fits perfectly into Robert Longbottom's seductive and opulent musical. - David Cote, Time Out New York Part fashion show, part nightclub act, part hymn to Asian American diversity, Flower Drum Song's intelligence may be rooted in Asian American cultural contradictions, but its heart belongs to Broadway. -John Lahr, New Yorker The dramatist and his director-choreographer, Robert Longbottom, have worked brilliantly...to create a new Broadway show of high and low seriousness, which was Rodger and Hammerstein's intention in the first place. -John Heilpern, New York Observer David Henry Hwang and Robert Longbottom have retained the show's irresistible sweetness and added more of the unabashed grandeur that distinguishes Rodgers and Hammerstein's best-loved material. -Elysa Gardner, USA Today A bold theatrical operation, an artistic success, revealing a revitalized score and a dramatic complexion that's far richer than the original. -Variety

'Flower Drum Song comes roaring back as if it were brand new... Always entertaining, frequently affecting... relevant without getting bogged down by political correctness... It is a work of bravery and intelligence and real faith in the possibilities of musical theatre' * Time Magazine *

Flower Drum Song comes roaring back as if it were brand new... Always entertaining, frequently affecting... relevant without getting weighed down by political correctness... It is a work of bravery and intelligence and real faith in the possibilities of musical theatre Time; Part fashion show, part night-club act, part hymn to Asian American diversity, Flower Drum Song's intelligence may be rooted in Asian American cultural contradictions, but its heart belongs to Broadway John Lahr, New Yorker

Author Information

David Henry Hwang is the author of the Tony Award-winning M. Butterfly, Yellow Face (OBIE Award, 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist), Golden Child (1997 OBIE Award), FOB (1981 OBIE Award), Family Devotions (Drama Desk nomination), and the books for musicals Aida ( co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 Broadway revival), and Tarzan, among other works. David Henry Hwang graduated from Stanford University, attended the Yale School of Drama, and holds honorary degrees from Columbia College in Chicago and The American Conservatory Theatre. He lives in New York City with his wife, actress Kathryn Layng, and their children, Noah David and Eva Veanne.

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