Asian Americans in Musical Theatre

The genre of American musical theatre emerged in the first half of the 20th Century as a form of theatre that used integrated song and dance to move the plot forward. In terms of American musical theatre in relation to Asian Americans and Asian American music, there are two categories of discourse: 1) Representations of Asianness within the musical (musical and lyrical representations, characterizations, etc), and 2) Musicals that include Asian actors or actors of Asian descent.

Representations of Asianness within the American Musical

Since the beginnings of American musical theatre, there have been representations of Asianness in the plot. Perhaps one of the earliest representations of Asians in musical theatre was in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes (1934), which included two Chinese “converts” and reformed gamblers named Ching and Ling. Sir Evelyn also admits to having a one-night stand with a young Chinese woman, who is mentioned in passing.

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s South Pacific (1949) features main characters who are Asian. The musical is set on two islands in the South Pacific during WWII and certain songs within the musical, such as “Bali Ha’i,” evoke an island feel. However, according to Rodgers, the melodic themes of South Pacific were not based off of traditional island music, but were themes that he had imagined would sound like they were from the island [2]. The following Rodgers and Hammerstein production, The King and I (1951), also features Asiatic main characters. The musical is based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens and tells the story of an English governess who goes to Siam to teach the king’s children. It includes European and Siamese cultures both in terms of content and musicality. This is demonstrated in songs such as “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” and “Shall We Dance.”

Flower Drum Song (1958), by Rodgers and Hammerstein, is the first musical to be specifically about Asian and Asian American cultures. Based on the novel of the same name by C.Y. Lee, the musical is set in San Francisco’s Chinatown in present time. The musical has four main characters: Linda Low, an Americanized female; Sammie Fong, an Americanized male; Mei-Li, a traditional Asian female; and Wang Ta, a traditional Asian male. The inclusion of characters of varying degrees of Asianness is used to juxtapose the Asian and the Asian American cultures. One criticism of the musical is of the song “Chop Suey” and how it “celebrates American culture as defined by a white popular culture, not the ethnic pluralism that the title suggests” [3]. Another criticism is of the song “I Enjoy Being A Girl,” which highlights the stereotypical qualities of an American girl. The musical emphasizes the importance of such “Asian” qualities as honor, family, and background.

Other musicals that are set in Asia or are about Asian characters include Pacific Overtures (1976), with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and Miss Saigon (1991), with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby, Jr. Pacific Overtures is about the Westernization of Japan and features musical themes built around the pentatonic scale, which is used in traditional Asian music. Miss Saigon is based off of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and tells the story of an American soldier fighting in the Vietnam War who falls in love with a Vietnamese prostitute. It includes certain traditionally Vietnamese elements in songs such as “The Ceremony (Dju Vui Vai),” but also images of the American Dream in songs such as “The Movie in My Mind.”

Although the Tony Award winning musical Avenue Q (2003), with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, is not specifically about Asian or Asian American characters, it does deal with subjects such as racism and stereotypes. Its ensemble cast features a Japanese American character, Christmas Eve, who is married to a Caucasian male. In the song “Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist,” a song about racial slurs and discrimination, she sings about how the term “Oriental” is “offensive.” Her strong Asian accent and fractured English is highlighted in the song “It Sucks to Be Me” as she sings “It suck to be me! I say it Sucka-Sucka-Sucka…” [4].

Asian Actors or Actors of Asian Descent in American Musical Theatre

During the early stages of American musical theatre, Asian or Asian American characters were often portrayed by actors in “Yellowface,” who were not Asian or of Asian descent [5]. For example, the original Broadway cast of South Pacific starred Juanita Hall, an African American actress, as Bloody Mary, an islander from the Pacific islands [1]. Hall also starred as Madame Liang, a Chinese American character, in both the Broadway and film versions of Flower Drum Song. At the same time, Flower Drum Song was one of the first musicals to feature a mostly Asian cast [1].

In the 1990’s, the production of Miss Saigon in London’s West End became highly controversial since casting directors had decided to cast European American actor, Jonathan Pryce, as the Eurasian pimp. The casting of a non-Asian actor in an Asian role was protested by the Asian American Theatre Company and many Asian American artists. However, “[producer] Cameron Mackintosh and his associates maintained that casting Pryce in the lead was purely an artistic decision” [6]. Despite the controversy involving the casting of Pryce, he continued to play the role of the pimp after the show moved to Broadway [1].

Ironically, another star of the original cast of Miss Saigon, Lea Salonga, was the first Asian actress to play the role of Eponine in Les Miserables on Broadway, a musical about the French Revolution [1]. She has also played the role of Fantine in the same musical.

Another well-known Asian American musical theatre actress is Ann Harada, who originated the role of Christmas Eve in Avenue Q. She has also played the traditionally Caucasian role of Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables on Broadway [1].


Citations
[1] www.ibdb.com
[2] Broadway: The American Musical, PBS documentary
[3] Wang, Oliver. “Between the Notes: Finding Asian America in Popular Music”
[4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPvZVdHDB4E
[5] Yellowface by Krystyn R. Moon
[6] Wei, William. “Who Am I? Creating an Asian American Identity and Culture”