Usual Girls

C

At the risk of being branded a sexist, I think that Ming Peiffer’s new play at Roundabout Underground’s Black Box Theatre holds greater appeal for women than for men. It charts the course of female sexuality, as lived by Kyeoung, a Korean-American girl, from prepubescence to early adulthood. The enthusiastic response several scenes evoked from female audience members suggests that the playwright got many things right. From third-grade playground antics to a pajama party for girls on the verge of puberty to mean girls acting out in high school to a druggy collegiate visit to New York on to a personal #MeToo story and quotidian indignities, Kyeoung (Midori Francis; The Wolves) does not have it easy. It was unclear to me whether her shunning was due solely to racism or also to her personality. Her sometime friends Anna (Abby Corrigan), Lindsay (Nicole Rodenburg; The Antipodes), Marina (Ali Rose Dachis; Fish in the Dark), Sasha (Sofia Black-D’Elia) and a sorority sister (Ryann Redmond; Escape to Margaritaville) are nicely differentiated. We also meet Rory (Raviv Ullman; Russian Transport), a boy who enjoys taunting her, and her father (Karl Kenzler; Fiddler on the Roof), a bitter drunk who showed her his porno magazines at a tender age. Last but by no means least is the wonderful Jennifer Lim (Chinglish) playing an older version of Kyeoung. While I rarely enjoy watching adults portray children, I thought these energetic actors carried it off well. Be forewarned that the language is often explicit and there is considerable nudity. I’m not a prude, but watching a girl’s first pubic shave is not my idea of entertainment. Kyeoung’s difficulty in remembering the details of her rape provides an eerie echo of Dr. Blasey Ford’s recent testimony. There are many lively moments but somehow the result seems less than the sum of its parts. The simple set by Arnulfo Maldonado (Bobby Clearly) is quite functional. The costumes by Asta Bennie Hostetter (Miles for Mary) are age-appropriate to each scene. Tyne Rafaeli’s (I Was Most Alive with You) direction is assured. Running time: one hour 40 minutes; no intermission.

The World of Extreme Happiness ***

The title of Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s new play at Manhattan Theatre Club is ironic to put it mildly. Her unflattering portrait of life in contemporary China is more characterized by ambition than polish. She attempts to tell many stories: the effects of the one-child policy, the great divide between rural and urban China, the horrendous working conditions in factories, the prejudice rural migrants suffer in the cities, the uneasy relationship between communism and capitalism, the limited opportunity for women, the rise of American-style pop psychology as a substitute for religion, and the harsh repression of dissent. It’s a lot for one play to contain. A strong cast of six portrays 13 characters. The wonderful Jennifer Lim (last seen here in “Chinglish”) plays the protagonist Sunny. The other five actors (Francis Jue, Telly Leung, Jo Mei, James Saito and Sue Jin Song) handle two or three roles each, convincingly differentiating their multiple characters. The deliberately bleak set by the talented Mimi Lien (“The Oldest Boy”) is flexible and effective. The costumes by Jenny Mannis are apt. Eric Ting’s direction is fluid. The playwright is not given to subtlety: her favored tool seems to be the sledgehammer. Nevertheless, she is to be commended for taking on such timely, substantive topics and presenting them dramatically. Although the play is flawed, I found it worthwhile. Running time: 95 minutes, no intermission.

Golden Child **

(Please click on the title to see the complete review.)
Signature Theatre has opened their season devoted to David Henry Hwang with a revival of his 1996 play about how Christianity came to the Eng family of Fujian, China in 1918-19. Tieng-Bin (Greg Watanabe) has returned home to his three wives and children after a few years doing business in the Philippines, where he has been exposed to and fascinated by Western culture. His ultra-traditional first wife, Siu-Yong (Julyana Soelistyo), is threatened by the new ideas he brings home. His scheming second wife, Luan (Jennifer Lim), sees an opportunity to make his eagerness for change work to her advantage. His third wife, Eling (Lesley Hu), his favorite, is just happy to have him home. Trouble erupts when Tieng-Bin orders Siu-Yong to unbind the feet of their feisty daughter Ahn (Annie Q). The arrival of a missionary, Reverend Baines (Matthew Maher), and Tieng-Bin's subsequent decision that the family convert to Christianity, lead to tragedy. Act One, basically a comedy of manners centered on the rivalry of the three wives, is filled with bitchy zingers. The shift to a much more serious tone in Act Two is a bit jarring. The tale is wrapped in a framing device in which the now elderly Ahn relates the tale to her young grandson. Soelistyo and Q stand out, while Watanabe seems a bit stiff. The elegant wooden set by Neil Patel and the sumptuous costumes by Anita Yavich are visual treats. Leigh Silverman's direction is unobtrusive. Running time: 2 hours including intermission.