Asian Americans in Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre

Anything Goes (1934)
• Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter
• Takes place in various locations on an Ocean Liner (www.ibdb.com)
• Characters: Ching and Ling
o Two Chinese ‘Converts’ and reformed gamblers who accompany the Bishop
• Character Sir Evelyn also admits to a one-night stand with a young Chinese woman in Act II

South Pacific (1949)
• Rodgers and Hammerstein
• Set in two islands in the South Pacific during WWII
• Based on James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Tales of the South Pacific
• Musical won Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1950
• Main theme is not traditionally of that island, but more of what Rodgers imagined to evoke the island feel (PBS documentary on Broadway)
• “Bali Ha’i”
o sung by Bloody Mary, who is an islander
o she is often cast as Black but is supposed to be Asian or Pacific Islander

The King and I (1951)
• Rodgers and Hammerstein
• Set in and around the Royal Palace in Bangkok (“Siam”) in the 1860’s (www.ibdb.com)
• Based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon, which was based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens
• Story of an English governess who goes to Siam to teach the king’s children
• Integrates European culture with Siamese elements “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance”

Flower Drum Song (1958)
• Rodgers and Hammerstein musical
• Based on the novel of the same name by C.Y. Lee
• Story is about Asian and Asian American cultures and the differences in these cultures, set in San Francisco’s Chinatown in the present time
• Features 4 main characters:
o Linda Low (Americanized female)
o Sammie Fong (Americanized male)
o Mei-Li (not Americanized female)
o Want Ta (not Americanized male)
• “Chop Suey”
o “Song that celebrates American culture as defined by a white popular culture, not the ethnic pluralism that the title suggests” (Wang, Oliver. “Between the Notes: Finding Asian America in Popular Music”)
• “I Enjoy Being A Girl”
o About the stereotypical qualities of an American girl
• Musical emphasizes the importance of such “Asian” qualities as honor, family, and background


Miss Saigon (1991)
• Lyrics by Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr.; Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg
• Set during Vietnam War
• Based on Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
• About an American soldier fighting in the Vietnam War who falls in love with Vietnamese prostitute
• Controversy: Casting European American actor, Jonathan Pryce, to play Eurasian pimp (Wei, William. “Who Am I? Creating an Asian American Identity and Culture”)
o Asian American Theatre Company protested
o “Cameron Mackintosh and his associates maintained that casting Pryce in the lead was purely an artistic decision”
• Originally starred Lea Salonga (Filipino singer and actress)
o She went on to play both Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables, both traditionally European roles (www.ibdb.com)
• Inclusion of Vietnamese traditions – “The Ceremony (Dju Vui Vai)”
• Also features various images of the American Dream – “The Movie in My Mind”
• Ends with the main Asian female character, Kim, committing suicide so that her American lover (and husband), Chris, would be forced to take their son back to the States


Avenue Q (2003)
• Music and Lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx
• Won Tony for Best Musical in 2004 (www.ibdb.com)
• Original musical, satire and political humor, set in present day (2003)
• Details the lives of various characters, both human and puppets, who live on Avenue Q
• Character: Christmas Eve
o Asian American, married to Brian, who is a white male
o Japanese, therapist with no clients (song “It Sucks to be Me”)
o Has an Asian accent and some grammar issues throughout the show
• “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist”
o Song is about racial slurs and discrimination coming from everyone
o Christmas Eve has a part complaining of the term “Oriental” and how it is “offensive to me”
o They mention in the song that the correct term is “Asian American”
• “It Sucks to be Me”
o Christmas Eve has a solo
o “It suck to be me! I say it Sucka-Sucka-Sucka…”
• “The More You Ruv Someone”
o Christmas Eve song
o Highlights her Asian accent (absence of the “l” sound in some Asian languages results in the “r” sound)