On the Red Carpet: At Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang on How He Turned His 'Flop' Into a Hit / October 15, 2024 by David Hwang

In 1993, David Henry Hwang's comedy Face Value came to Broadway. It then abruptly left after just five performances, with critics panning it as "M. Turkey" (a reference to Hwang's previous hit M. Butterfly). In the years since, Hwang has referred to the play as a "flop." So it wasn't lost on Hwang October 1, at the opening of his play Yellow Face at the Todd Haimes Theatre, how far he'd come—especially when critics met Yellow Face with almost unanimous raves.

"In some ways, this is the end of a journey that began in 1993 when the predecessor to this play, Face Value, closed in previews on Broadway," the Tony Award-winning playwright told Playbill on the red carpet of Yellow Face. "So now, many decades later, to be able to open Yellow Face on Broadway just feels like the most amazing journey a show could have."

Hear From Daniel Dae Kim, David Henry Hwang and the Stars of Broadway's Yellow Face on Opening Night / October 15, 2024 by David Hwang

Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang's 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist, is having its Broadway premiere at Roundabout Theatre Company's Todd Haimes Theatre, directed by Leigh Silverman. Daniel Dae Kim stars as DHH, a semi-autobiographical take on Hwang himself, who protests the white-washing of Broadway's Miss Saigon only to cast a white actor as an Asian man in one of his own plays.

Speaking to The Broadway Show on the opening-night red carpet, Hwang shared the two biggest reasons Yellow Face has been surprising its audiences: "Number one, how funny Daniel Dae Kim is," he said. "And number two, that there's a combination of stuff to laugh about, stuff to cry about and stuff to think about."

Photos: Opening Night of Yellow Face on Broadway / October 3, 2024 by David Hwang

See more at Playbill

See Daniel Dae Kim and the Stars of Yellow Face Hit the Red Carpet for the Play's Long-Awaited Broadway Premiere / October 3, 2024 by David Hwang

*Playwright David Henry Hwang, director Leigh Silverman and Daniel Dae Kim (Photo by Sergio Villarini for Broadway.com)*

Yellow Face—David Henry Hwang's semi-autobiographical satire inspired by the playwright's protest of yellow face in the Broadway production of Miss Saigon and his subsequent 1993 flop, Face Value—opened on Broadway at the Todd Haimes Theatre on October 1. A Pulitzer Prize finalist, the play premiered in Los Angeles in 2007, followed by an off-Broadway run at the Public Theater helmed by Leigh Silverman, who reunites with Hwang for its Broadway production.

Daniel Dae Kim leads the cast as Hwang's theatrical rendering (called DHH in the play), along with Francis Jue as Hwang's father (HYH), Ryan Eggold as Marcus (the white man DHH accidentally casts as an Asian character in Face Value) and an ensemble of shape-shifting actors including Greg Keller, Marinda Anderson, Kevin Del Aguila and Shannon Tyo.

See the Broadway company walk the red carpet on opening night.

Read and see more at Broadway.com

Interview with YELLOW FACE Playwright David Henry Hwang / October 3, 2024 by David Hwang

In my exclusive interview with David Henry Hwang, we talked about Yellow Face, An American Soldier, Soft Power, M. Butterfly, the opera, and Ainadamar with Osvaldo Golijov which will be seen at the Metropolitan Opera in Oct. Roundabout Theatre Company is presenting Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang directed by Leigh Silverman, at the Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues in New York through November 24. Yellow Face features Daniel Dae Kim as “DHH,”

Read and watch more at Youtube

Daniel Dae Kim used to camp out for discounted theater tickets / October 3, 2024 by David Hwang

Returning to Broadway feels full circle for Kim, who is best known for TV shows like “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0” but got his start on more experimental corners of the New York stage after earning a degree from NYU. This time, instead of waiting in line for discounted seats, he’s center stage in “Yellow Face,” a play about a case of mistaken racial identity, as well as a backstage comedy.

“Not to get sentimental, but the first day I was in the Todd Haimes Theatre, I looked out on the stage, and I remember that 21-year-old young man who would who would get TKTS tickets and sit in the balcony just to be able to see these wonderful plays and these amazing performers,” Kim said.

“Yellow Face” chronicles (and satirizes) Hwang’s experience leading the 1991 protest against the casting of white actor Jonathan Pryce in the Asian role of “Miss Saigon.” Since then, Hwang notes, casting decisions have changed for the better. For instance, every subsequent production of “Miss Saigon” has featured an Asian actor in the role that Pryce originated.

Interview: David Henry Hwang on ‘Yellow Face,’ Its Ongoing Relevance, and More / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Hwang discusses his expectations for the autobiographical play now that it’s on Broadway.

David Henry Hwang’s playfully subversive comedy Yellow Face received an Obie Award and was shortlisted for a Pulitzer Prize when it debuted off-Broadway at the Public Theater in 2007. Now it’s back—in a new Broadway revival directed by Leigh Silverman, the Tony-nominated director of Shaina Taub’s freewheeling musical Suffs. In what Hwang calls an “unreliable memoir,” the playwright—who won the Tony in 1988 for M. Butterfly—places a fictional version of himself, “DHH,” at the center of the story.

The play takes audiences on a clever and humorous journey that blurs fact and fiction. It revisits historical events sparked by the 1990 controversy surrounding the yellow-face casting of a white actor, Jonathan Pryce, in the lead Eurasian role in the mega-musical Miss Saigon. The work also examines allegations made against his father, Henry Y. Hwang, and the increasing prejudice faced by Asian Americans in this country. Portrayed as “HYH” in the play, Hwang’s father, a banker, saw his cherished version of the American dream unravel due to racist-tinged investigations into campaign donations that targeted him in the late 1990s.

The current Broadway revival of Yellow Face features Daniel Dae Kim (of Lost and Hawaii Five-O fame) as the author’s stand-in and Obie Award-winning actor Francis Jue as Hwang’s father. I recently spoke with the playwright about his autobiographical meta-theatrical creation.

Get a 1st Look at Production Photos From David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face on Broadway / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim is starring in the Roundabout Theatre Company production.

Previews began September 13 for Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway production of Yellow Faceby David Henry Hwang, and the first production photos are in. Opening night is set for October 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre. The limited engagement will continue through November 24.

Directed by Leigh Silverman, Yellow Face stars Daniel Dae Kim as DHH, Kevin Del Aguila as Actor A, Ryan Eggold as Marcus, Francis Jue as HYH and Others, Marinda Anderson as Actor B, Greg Keller as Reporter/NWOAC, and Shannon Tyo as Leah and Others.

Inspired by real events, the playwright's fictionalized doppelgänger DHH (Kim) leads protests against yellowface casting in Miss Saigon, but then mistakenly casts a white actor as the Asian lead in one of his own plays.

Screen star Daniel Dae Kim returns to the stage in the Broadway premiere of 'Yellow Face' / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Screen star Daniel Dae Kim returns to the stage in the Broadway premiere of 'Yellow Face'

Nearly two decades after its debut off-Broadway at The Public Theater, “Yellow Face” by Tony Award-winner David Henry Hwang is now on Broadway.

The production features screen star Daniel Dae Kim as the central character "DHH".

"On Stage" host Frank DiLella caught up with Kim, Hwang and director Leigh Silverman to talk about the Broadway premiere of “Yellow Face.”

How to Listen to David Henry Hwang's YELLOW FACE From Home / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Now in previews at the Todd Haimes Theatre is David Henry Hwang's comedy Yellow Face, which at last makes its Broadway debut following an off-Broadway premiere in 2006. Roundabout Theatre Company is presenting the play, which is directed by Leigh Silverman.

"I thought this was a comedy that would mostly be for Asian audiences. It's very gratifying that over the years it's grown in stature, it's been done around, and the culture has moved too," Hwang recently told BroadwayWorld. "So, when we did a reading of the version for Audible last year we discovered 'Oh, it's even funnier now!' because the issues that are the heart of it that powered the comedy are so much more central to our culture. It's really exciting to now be getting to do this on Broadway for you know a mainstream theater audience."

That's right! For those who cannot make it to New York City to see the play in person, you're in luck, because Audible released an audio version earlier this year and both star Daniel Dae Kim and Francis Jue. And for anyone who has already bought tickets, you can have a whole new experience with a mostly different cast by listening to the recorded version.

Photos: Daniel Dae Kim & More in YELLOW FACE on Broadway / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Next up from Roundabout Theatre Company is the new production of Yellow Face by David Henry Hwang directed by Leigh Silverman, which will open at the Todd Haimes Theatre on October 1. Check out a first look at the cast in action!

Yellow Face will feature Daniel Dae Kim as “DHH,” Kevin Del Aguila as “Actor A,” Ryan Eggold as “Marcus,” Francis Jue as “HYH & Others,” Marinda Anderson as “Actor B,” Greg Keller as “Reporter/NWOAC,” and Shannon Tyo as “Leah & Others.” Meet the cast of Yellow Face below!

Inspired by real events, the playwright’s fictionalized doppelgänger protests yellowface casting in Miss Saigon, only to mistakenly cast a white actor as the Asian lead in his own play. This Obie Award-winning and Pulitzer finalist play is a laugh-out-loud farce about the complexities of race.

October 2024 New York Theater Openings / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Below is a selection of theater opening* in New York in October, including five shows on Broadway, four of them revivals (or classics), with starry casts, many of whom are making their debuts or long-awaited returns: Jim Parsons, Ephraim Sykes, Richard Thomas, Zoey Deutch (these first four among the many in “Our Town”), Daniel Day Kim, Juliana Margulies, Nicole Scherzinger, Kit Carson and Rachel Ziegler (these last two in Romeo + Juliet).ber 1

Yellow Face (Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theater)
Daniel Dae Kim stars in David Henry Hwang’s 2007 comedy, which finally makes it to Broadway, a semi-fictionalized dramatization of three events in the playwright’s life: his protest against the performance of a non-Asian actor as an Asian character (a practice referred to as yellowface) in Miss Saigon; the failure of his 1993 play, “Face Value”; and a Senate investigation that targeted Asian Americans including his father.
September 13 – November 24

Ainadamar, by Osvaldo Golijov / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

The Argentinian composer Osvaldo Golijov’s 80-minute opera Ainadamar (Fountain of Tears) unfolds chiefly in the head of the aged actress Margarita Xirgu (Angel Blue), in her youth a muse to the incendiary Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca (Daniela Mack). Beginning in pulsating flamenco, the score dissolves in the end to an ethereal trio inspired by the precedent of Richard Strauss in Der Rosenkavalier, the third voice in Golijov’s mix being that of Nuria, Xirgu’s brilliant protégée. The flamenco singer Alfredo Tejado appears (but not in the trio) as the Falangist politician who takes charge of Lorca’s execution, an event that David Henry Hwang’s libretto borrows from the historic record. What’s the whole fantasy about? Oh, just life, death, art, self-immolation.

Daniel Dae Kim to Keynote at Variety's Business of Broadway Breakfast / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Variety has announced programming for its annual Business of Broadway Breakfast, presented by City National Bank, on September 30 in New York. The event, hosted by Cole Escola of "Oh, Mary!," will celebrate the upcoming season of Broadway with conversations from cast members and directors of "Sunset Boulevard," "Yellow Face," and "Our Town."

The event will also include a keynote from Daniel Dae Kim and David Henry Hwang of "Yellow Face," as well as one with Jim Parsons, Zoey Deutch, Michelle Wilson, and Ephraim Sykes of "Our Town."

Video: Daniel Dae Kim Talks YELLOW FACE & More on THE DAILY SHOW / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim sat down with Ronny Chieng on The Daily Show to discuss his role in David Henry Hwang's Yellow Face, which is currently in previews on Broadway.

Kim plays a fictionalized version of Hwang in the play, which is inspired by real-life events beginning during the controversial casting of Miss Saigon in 1990. In the interview, Kim discusses the genesis of the play and also highlights why the subject matter is so important.

"We're in a situation now where there are so many great Asian-American performers...so there's absolutely no reason why Asian performers should not be playing Asian characters," Kim said. "The thing that gets a little bit more nuanced now is whether we should be nationality specific among Asian-Americans and that is an interesting question too." Watch the full interview with Daniel Dae Kim now!

Yellow Face follows a playwright’s fictionalized doppelgänger as he protests yellowface casting in Miss Saigon, only to mistakenly cast a white actor as the Asian lead in his own play. The Obie Award-winning and Pulitzer finalist play is a laugh-out-loud farce about the complexities of race.

The play is currently in previews at the Todd Haimes Theatre.

How Daniel Dae Kim Finds the Funny in Broadway’s ‘Yellow Face’ / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

A little-known fact about Daniel Dae Kim: He’s really, really into “Saturday Night Live.”

“I’m a super fan,” says the actor just a few days before starting performances for the revival of David Henry Hwang’s 2007 play “Yellow Face” on Broadway. Speaking on the latest episode of “Stagecraft,” Variety’s theater podcast, he added, “I have not missed a single episode since probably 1980.”

That trivia tidbit may come as a surprise to those who know Kim best for the super-serious characters he plays on TV, like the loyal survivor Jin-Soo Kwon on “Lost” or the upstanding detective Chin Ho Kelly on “Hawaii Five-0.” But now this “SNL” enthusiast is subverting his own morally upright persona in Hwang’s play, in which he stars as a comically flawed version of the Tony-winning playwright.

See Daniel Dae Kim and Ryan Eggold in First-Look Photos of Broadway's “Yellow Face” (Exclusive) / September 30, 2024 by David Hwang

The Roundabout Theatre Company production, now in previews, officially opens Oct. 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre in New York City.

Daniel Dae Kim returned to Broadway on Friday, Sept. 13 after nearly a decade away, as performances kicked off for David Henry Hwang's semi-autobiographical play, Yellow Face.

PEOPLE can exclusively debut first-look photos of the play, which also stars New Amsterdam actor Ryan Eggold in his Broadway debut.

The Roundabout Theatre Company production, which officially opens Oct. 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre in New York City, stars Kim, 56, as DHH — a character based off Hwang himself.

Described by Hwang as an "unreliable memoir," the play is inspired by the infamous Miss Saigon casting controversy, which made headlines when the musical transferred from London's West End to Broadway in 1990 with Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce reprising his role of the Engineer, an Eurasian (French-Vietnamese) pimp.

Here's the complete list of Broadway plays and musicals opening this fall / September 16, 2024 by David Hwang

Musicals about Tammy Faye and Louis Armstrong?

A revival of "Our Town" starring Jim Parsons? A new play starring Robert Downey Jr.? Mia Farrow and Patti LuPone together on stage? Audra McDonald as Mama Rose?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

YELLOW FACE

Tony Award winner and three-time Pulitzer finalist David Henry Hwang ("M. Butterfly") makes his Roundabout debut with the Broadway premiere of his "is-he-or-isn’t-he" comedy of identity, show business and (perhaps) autobiography, according to a release. Inspired by real events, the playwright’s fictionalized doppelgänger protests yellowface casting in "Miss Saigon," only to mistakenly cast a white actor as the Asian lead in his own play. Previews Sept. 13, opens Oct. 1, closes Nov. 24. Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 W. 42nd St., $58 to $348; 212-719-1300, roundabouttheatre.org.

Daniel Dae Kim Isn’t Afraid To Fail / September 16, 2024 by David Hwang

In the new Broadway production of “Yellow Face,” the “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0” star is taking a risk. “I am aware,” he says, “that people have not usually seen me in this way.”

It’s tough to see the resemblance.

In the Broadway production of David Henry Hwang’s “Yellow Face,” starting previews at the Todd Haimes Theater on Sept. 13, Daniel Dae Kim will star as DHH, a fictionalized, none-too-sympathetic character based very loosely on the Tony-winning playwright.

“Who wouldn’t want to have their doppelgänger be Daniel Dae Kim?,” said Hwang, whose play premiered Off Broadway in 2007 and who helped cast Kim in this Roundabout Theater Company revival.

Who indeed? Since Kim first broke through in 2004 as the brooding, morally conflicted former enforcer on the hit ABC series “Lost,” and later as a tough, shotgun-blasting detective on the CBS reboot of “Hawaii Five-0,” he has become known for a certain type of character. Earnest. Serious. Enigmatic. Dignified.

As the King of Siam, “Daniel stood in the middle of this enormous space and just held the entire audience in the palm of his hands,” said Maria Friedman, who performed alongside him in a 2009 staging of “The King and I” at London’s cavernous Royal Albert Hall. “There’s nothing slight about him.”

Daniel Dae Kim returns to Broadway in satirical play ‘Yellow Face’ / September 16, 2024 by David Hwang

Daniel Dae Kim is set to return to Broadway this fall in David Henry Hwang's comedy "Yellow Face."

The production marks the Broadway premiere of Hwang's Obie Award-winning and Pulitzer Prize finalist play, directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman. Kim, known for his roles in "Lost" and "Hawaii Five-0," will portray a fictionalized version of Hwang himself in a story inspired by the controversial casting of Jonathan Pryce in the 1991 Broadway production of "Miss Saigon." The play delves into the complexities of race and identity in the entertainment industry, highlighting the challenges faced by Asian American actors.

"Yellow Face" will begin previews at the Roundabout Theatre Company's Todd Haimes Theatre on Sept. 13, with an official opening on Oct. 1 and a limited engagement through Nov. 24.