Full transcript of “Yellow Face (Part 1 of 2)”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 hey everyone I'm Chester see one of the founding partners of the Yami on behalf network and this is the talented David Henry Hwang the Tony award-winning writer of M butterfly and one of the most celebrated playwrights working today what you're about to watch is an adaptation of the acclaimed play yellow face which won an Obie off-broadway highest honor as well as is nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for drama thanks Chester I'm incredibly excited that the young MF Network and fast and furious director Justin Lin chose my play to adapt for YouTube now this is the first ever direct YouTube adaptation of a play and that's also incredibly exciting using nine actors playing multiple roles
0:45 director Jeff Liu has taken an innovative approach to this adaptation which combines elements of theater film and YouTube to create a unique hybrid which I hope everyone will enjoy well I can speak on behalf of everyone at youngnam app we are excited to be presenting something that is just so new and so different what you're about to watch is the first part or act one of his play yellow face and tomorrow we'll release the second part or the final act so without further ado we present the world mayor of yellow face ah [Music]
1:40 ah [Music] [Applause] [Music] email receive January 30 2006 from Marcus G Dolman to David Henry Hwang one night in Shanghai a city so futuristic it makes Blade Runner the quaint another y grew in another forum told me where I could find the soul of China he described this amazing village that he just visited and a minority tribe called the dong I flew the provincial capital
2:27 of Guam traveled ten hours by bus over roads barely paved potholes the size of foam boots as we climbed up words they were rice fields everywhere terraces carved into the mountainside thousands of years ago at last we arrived to the village called gen song as soon as I stepped off the bus I heard a song the dong called their music daga the big song melodies that can only be sung by the entire village together the dong have a saying rice feeds the
3:12 body song feeds the heart that was the first of Marcus's emails to me many Asian Americans wonder what happened to him as from my own part in the story some notice but they chose to forgive me for my mistakes playwright Frank chin and David Henry Wong is a white racist well most of them did anyway I was a respected figure in the community the first Asian playwright to have a play produced on Broadway even appeared on national television with Lily Tomlin the 1988 Tony Award for Best Play goes to am butterfly author David Henry Wong producers Stewart Ostrow and David
3:59 Geffen from Mickey Rooney playing Japanese and Breakfast at Tiffany's Bruce Lee being passed over in favor of David Carradine for a TV series called Kung Fu agents have been routinely caricatured denied the right to play even ourselves well it's a new day in America we're entering the 1990s and all that stops now [Applause] [Music]
4:44 hello hi David it's BD BD wong tony award-winning starve and butterfly hey Brad what's up have you heard about this whole Miss Saigon business oh you mean the musical in London Jonathan Pryce is playing an Asian pimp yeah Rose Chow saw it there said his eyes are taped up and everything that would never happen here well the bringing the show to Broadway yeah but this is America they're not gonna cast a white guy here they have it's Jonathan price the producers are saying they conducted this worldwide Talent Search and they couldn't find any Asian qualified to play the part I can't do that that's what a lot of us think yellow
5:33 faced in this day and age ensuite ought if you'd be willing to write a letter to the you know you bet I will trust me they're not gonna get away with this dear Actors Equity today I learned some news which left him feeling surprised and dismayed New York Times July 13 1990 Miss Saigon casting protested Asian Americans complained about the casting of a Caucasian in weather shows principal Asian rules the award-winning playwright David Henry Wong and butterfly registered his complaint in a letter sent to Actors Equity I had dared to suppose that the yellow face days of fu-manchu's and Charlie Chan had long been relegated to the closet of historical Kitsch Mr Price is an excellent actor but I would be equally dismayed right to learn he was cast as
6:19 an african-american character like boy Willy in August Wilson's a piano lesson Actors Equity Union took my side in the casting dispute and arranged a meeting with the Miss Saigon team including Cameron Mackintosh producer Miss Saigon then he left casting director Miss Saigon Bernard Jacobs president of the Schubert theaters the goal of it the sheer hypocrisy this is all because Biddy long wants a job isn't it the fact that you have made a public spectacle of this issue how can you support such a blatant restriction of artistic freedom if you know of any Asian actor who'd be right for the part forty to fifty years old classical training worldwide status please give me his name we have searched
7:04 literally around the world actually I contacted John Lone Star the last step here and he said that he had his manager contact her office to save his interest in the part in order Dever called him back this man is trying to stir up trouble that's why you sent that letter of yours to the papers no the atmosphere is poisoned unless conditions improve I don't see how I can bring the show into New York New York Times August 8 1990 Actors Equity Union bars white in Asian role Washington Post August 8th the Broadway production of Miss Saigon has been cancelled producer Cameron Mackintosh announced today it has certainly never been my intention to see
7:50 a show cancelled I simply felt that an important point had to be made and this is clearly been achieved New York Times last night equity received a petition from 150 of its members to reconsider its decision New York Post asian-american and other protesters demonstrated yesterday in Times Square demanding the equity stick to its decision The Daily News yesterday a scuffle between opposing camps in the Miss Saigon dispute broke out in the lobby of actors equities offices pressure is mounting on Actors Equity Frank rich chief drama critic New York Times Jonathan prices brilliant performance is as essential to Miss Saigon as Joel Grey's was to cabaret perhaps even more
8:36 former New York Mayor Ed Koch now its Actors Equity playing the censer talk show host Dick Cavett the bonehead decision of the year she didn't pose all considering use the Broadway for a street of this kind on the house big cat the bonehead decision of the
9:25 David I've already left a couple of messages we need you down at Actors Equity offices tomorrow at News Carlo Chiang act with some political activists Carla hi it's David screening calls no no just washing my hair equity councils meeting tomorrow to reconsider their decision we're holding a rally at noon you come down we'll give you a placard the press will take a few pictures I don't think I can make it what do you mean we have a chance to stop yellow face forever yes it's but it but the artistic freedom thing it's it just between you and me this is starting to make us look bad look bad this is our Rosa Parks moment we need you tomorrow - comedy need me because your name the papers right
10:11 exactly it's it's my name out there it's it's my face in the papers the poster boy for political correctness we should wear mine Carla I can't meet the rally okay hey I'm doing what I think is best for the cause New York Times August 17 1990 Actors Equity Union reverses Saigon vote and welcomes English star hello Dave oh hi
11:00 dad little listen I'm a little busy right now Dylan I get trying to write a new play good idea what's that supposed to mean I said it was a good idea and it's only been three years since then butterfly but you've been smart keeping your name in the paper that's good son I mean all that Miss Saigon business thank God it's finally starting to die down but so many articles on you free publicity but everyone disagreed with me haha everyone hold big shots guys is my fever seat all the orbitals I am ashamed of my Union Actors Equity oh yeah Tron monster and that Miss Saigon such a big hero dad
11:47 don't remind me that that producer well what's this dick Cameron Mackintosh yeah he talks about the show so beautiful a young Vietnamese girl gives up her baby to find a better life in America actually she dies Wow she kills herself so her child can find a better life in America that's even more beautiful can you give me some tickets when I go to New York next month yeah I protested this that's a difference a mackerel back in tashkent Tosh he knows how much you've done for hip and I'll tell you something he's grateful sure dead I'll get you tickets Oh get your friend tickets anyone you
12:33 know who can't get into miss like I just have them give me a call okay and I'll tell you another thing you know why it's such a big hit not really because it's real a Vietnamese prostitute falls in love with some white soldier and then kills herself so her child can come to America you don't know how much people want to come here when I see that girl I think she's like me you killed yourself now but I would have that's how much I wanted to come here even though I didn't know anything about America other than what I saw in Shanghai at the movie house even then I knew my real life wasn't the one I was living in China
13:25 [Music] second son of a cheapskate father who didn't even know how to talk to his children [Music] I knew that was a faked life and my real life was here [Music] all those movie stars Humphrey Bogart and Clark Gable and Frank Sinatra they
14:12 were the real me so when I finally got here I kept on pushing until one day after I started the bank and it became a success I looked around at my office on the 39th floor my house the swankiest part of San Marino my Mercedes my kids all in top colleges and I thought now I am finally living my real life here in America
14:59 [Music] that's why the girl kills herself because if you could see your real life and it's someplace else then what's the point if you lose hope you'll ever get there if you kill yourself it doesn't matter dad I gotta what think I know what I went on write about really yeah well good yeah good good that take
15:45 a look at this face on the cover of the magazine do you see a chinese-american asian-american playing American or someone in yellow face does any of this really matter these are some of the questions raised in David Henry Wong snoo farce face value is race a construct which is still useful or is it mythological New York Times October 23 1992 the new play was described by mr. Wong as a comedy of mistaken racial identity which was inspired by the fracas over the casting of Jonathan Pryce as a Eurasian pimp in Miss Saigon it's a backstage for us about a musical in which the lead actor is a Caucasian playing an Asian on opening night two asian-american protesters sneaking to disrupt the proceedings dressed in white
16:32 face [Music] he stole my job he stole all our job no I really know I could have brought some truth to that role in this day and age a Caucasian playing a Chinese and in that horrible musical it's racist sexist imperialist misogynist and I didn't even get an audition neither did I damn them thank you that was amazing wonderful what an audition thank you so much it's not right either there must be more Asian male actors out there how about VD I just don't I just don't see BD in this one thing we're looking for a fresh young Asian face that we can
17:17 make into a Broadway star friend butterfly we were looking for Chinese transvestites who can sing and dance we found lots of those yes we did why is it so much harder all we're looking for is a straight masculine Asian leading man tell miles to keep looking well tell them there are hundreds of masculine Asian leading men out there dozens he keeps asking if you know any it's at my job tell him to scour the country somewhere out there our bright young star is waiting for us to find him Myles Newman casting director face-value a friend who lived in Marin sent me a newspaper article about this new Asian American play go for broke I didn't get to see it but the reviews were fantastic The Lost battalion 36 infantry from the
18:06 Lone Star State the trapped pinned down crowds on all sides look I'm not gonna lie to you boys this is a suicide mission call it anything else would be a damn lie lieutenant Grayson I'm not sure I can do this sergeant Watanabe do it for your country for America well I'll always be a foreigner and even before the war people would ask me where are you from and I tell them Stockton California and then they say no where are you really from and now to them I'm just another enemy Jack hey sergeant let's talk Turkey when
18:51 headquarters first assigned me in all japanese-american battalion I was a typical Texan I thought all you boys are the enemy but now I have never seen a finer group of Americans you're right this is our chance to show the world were loyal Americans my parents generation the Issei they have a saying she caught the other night it means can't be helped nothing to be done well then she caught a good idea - you ready boys ja go one of the actors Rodney ha Tamia we'd already auditioned
19:38 him but the other guy Marcus G Dolman okay sure his name doesn't sound agen but as you well know that doesn't mean anything nowadays the producers agreed to fly him out for an audition my first thought when Marcus walk in the room was well it's obvious he's not a hundred percent Asian because of equity rules you can't just come out and ask an actor his race but over the years I'd become pretty good at getting to the truth of an actor's ethnicity the markets are you from actually I'm from CL oh yeah no that's a diverse town isn't it sure do you know it yeah yeah I'm so impressed with a vitality of the Asian community there yeah it's great yep Cherry Blossom Festival Chinese new year's parade you know sure oh so you've
20:24 been yeah yeah as a kid ah yeah the Filipino community there they must have some big annual of their own right I mean I'm I'm so ignorant I don't sorry I can't or the Indians do they have some uh or the Vietnamese Koreans mum not sure what do you speak any foreign languages yeah easy is it needed for the part no no I was good coz I'm still struggling with English really no no no no it was a joke I got it I got it yeah you see Marcus I'd like to be direct okay we are and I say this Oh God we're
21:14 looking to cast this role with an Asian dad you should so that's all right with you I mean my background so makes us it's it's hard to tell my my father's Jewish and you know some people believe the Lost Tribe of Israel ended up in China okay I actually I spent a lot of time in the International District the D say the Nisei the old-timers they told me their stories yeah you could say helped make me who I am today she got a good eye she had a good night
22:01 Chinese folklore tells of a man who dreamt he was a butterfly one morning came the man awoke and he realized that he is not a butterfly but a man he knew not a butterfly's joys and pains but those of a man he could only ask himself am I really a man who dreamt he was a butterfly or a butterfly now dreaming he's a man could you excuse us for a moment Marcus that was amazing
22:48 he's funny vulnerable strong III think he's our future store but but guys does he look Asian to you what do you mean look Asian well he doesn't seem to possess any Asian features at all what exactly do you mean by Asian features well he's got dark hair what short high cheekbones slightly I David know I got to say I find your question sort of offensive Myles is he Asian we managed to have a little conversation on the subject and he's not full-blooded he's Eurasian what you want to start discriminating against them too David if our leading man who's supposed to be an Asian dressing up in white face if when he takes off this makeup he still looked white would that bother you
23:36 white - who - other white people see ya I have to cast this in a way that feels right to me I can tell an Asian when I see one Boston Globe January 1st 1993 rehearsals have begun for David Henry Wong snoo play face value which will have its pre-broadway tryouts February 9 through 28th at the Colonial Theatre the cast includes Mark linn-baker and Jane Krakowski JJ hey you know I didn't get a chance to tell you but you're really great in the show thanks you too really hmm believe me I work with some so called stars who don't have half as much talent
24:21 as you do Thanks you know Jane I I really like you how much have you had to drink tonight too much I figured something off my chest well don't say anything you'll regret in the morning Jane I'm a fake is that all welcome to the club it comes with success the higher you get the more you feel like you don't belong there like they put your name on the wrong list and you somehow managed to sneak into the
25:08 party that's exactly what happened do you know how many actors auditioned for your part not enough Jane that plane Marin where they found me I was playing a white guy Marcus do you know what I do when I feel nervous around people I imagine I'm playing a part yeah I picture who I want to be and then I start acting try it sometime you'll be surprised Marcus has had a lot to drink tonight I
26:00 just I bet he never dreamed that he'd end up in a Broadway show when he was cast as a Japanese American soldier temir in community school Oh are we expecting reviews tomorrow morning yes I know we have work to do but but I think that the critics are gonna be encouraging knock on wood oh and David just so you know that showing Marin Marcus wasn't a Japanese American soldier no I've written interview he wasn't it he can weave in it all right but it was the white guy Boston Globe
26:46 February 15 1993 Huang's face value flops on its first New York Times the critical splat in Boston of David Henry Wong Broadway bound face value unselfish opal now has the creative team engaged in revamping a show that was essentially judged confusing and unfunny in Turkey of course I'd have loved to have gotten good reviews but this is the situation we're in so we're dealing with it I started rewriting but this voice kept echoing in my head decided to call Rodney had to Mia an
27:31 actor who had worked with Marcus and go for broke look hi Rodney it's David Wong so how's show going oh well yeah how's Marcus Marcus is doing great listen I wanted to ask he's one lucky what does that mean well anyone else would have had their balls handed back to him on a plate by our community but David Henry Wong he can cast a white guy as an Asian and don't give a goddamn Marcus is an Asian see what I mean I can tell he's not 100% Oh Marcus is 100% all right 100% white what you mean you thought he was elision you got that out right oh can you imagine is this gun into the papers I mean the leader of Miss Saigon
28:18 protest caste white guy as Asian by mistake he's not huh he's not Marcos he's not 100 percent white oh come on father's Jewish last time I checked Jewish was still white not necessarily not what Judaism is a religion not a race it's sort of both isn't it like the way that a wave and a particle are the same but but different what what Jews are both waves and particles what the are you talking about I mean I mean do you even know where Marcus's Jewish ancestors came from Russia Siberia huh Marcus's father came from Siberia are you sure because we talked about it extensively how does that make him an Asian well do you even know where Siberia is yeah it's near the North Pole
29:03 it's Asia Siberia isn't Asia yes Marcus's father is a Siberian Jew sure you're not making this all up to save your ass who stepped up to the line in the Miss Saigon fight well you did I worry about saving my own ass then I'm sorry I didn't mean to and another thing Rodney I loved your audition you did it was so honest that's what I love the most in the theater is honesty then why didn't you cast why I mean I thought I did a good job too you know I just it's just what I was thinking yeah yeah in fact I'm calling to check your availability ah once the show gets to New York we can bring you out at first maybe till understudy but then eventually to take over the part
29:50 really a are you offering me the yes the show would have to settle into a healthy run first of course so we all have to do whatever we can to make sure the show is a success right right but David you can't fire him you mean except for for being white that's a violation of anti-discrimination laws how you'd be firing him based on race but I hired him because of his race or at least what I thought was his race everyone just sort of let that one fly wait so I can hire on the basis of race but I campfire for the same reason right why because someone doesn't generally sue you for hiring them quite so I'm
30:35 stuck with this guy forever no matter what no of course she can fire him for any reason other than race some Luxan I really got a talk no no no no no no no no no whatever you do he can't know that you know he's white once that happens then you really can't ever fire him Shh what's Nash speaking to this group of asian-american students tonight they're gonna see right through him then they grab all of us all then I'm not ever gonna be able to fire him again David David why don't you just do all the talking at this event okay yes I can get through this thing tonight and then tomorrow we can get rid of him now do your life forever so as long as I help Marcus pass as an Asian then I can still fire him for being white right
31:23 welcome to the Asian American Resource Center I'm Gish Jen Marcus I've been busy I am so pleased to see you all at tonight's event about your name I'm evening with the creators of face value Marcus T bellman have you ever thought about taking a stage name please welcome David Henry Hwang and Marcus G hey you guys did a beautiful thing man oh thank you very much I was like man they're doing it to us again tell it brother they can't stand to see the yellow man get too much power in their world got that right so they have no choice but to shut us down you and Spike Lee man
32:11 hi thank you hey when did you see the show oh I didn't need to see it's a no what's going on you can tell just by reading the reviews exactly when I saw these white critics just beating on your show I knew you had something great you can really see through the height yes hi I saw your show two nights ago yes yes and it was amazing okay thank I I just had one question for Marcus what are you anyway you mean what is he really well my racial heritage is all mixed up actually um lots of people say the last tribe of Israel is your Asian I mean that's that's really the bottom line is no Marcus yeah I guess yes Marcus your
32:57 ancestors at least on your Asian side where are they from Siberia aren't they there are Russian Asian Siberian Jews aren't they Marcus yes yeah sure Siberian Wow in Siberians our Asian well look Siberia is just north of China perhaps most well-known Siberian his model Irina pant Ava here she is next issue cosmopolitan yeah um nowadays we don't all look alike looks don't really matter anymore Marcus like us is an American I guess my question for Marcus is as a
33:43 Siberian Russian Asian Jew was growing up hard ah yeah well when I was seven my parents moved into this fancy neighborhood cuz it had better schools so I essentially became a poor kid in town I know it doesn't like you do well thank you grassroots well see the kids all knew the truth about me so on the outside I was trying really hard to be like everyone else but on the inside you knew they were looking down on you yeah that's right that's right this is sorry I've never an in public like this Marcus we've all been oppressed by the bastards not now
34:28 you say it me no no man you gotta say it it's the only way gonna rise up it was subtle I mean it wasn't like good not be subtle but it still racist come on man you gotta say it oh okay bastards right those made us feel like they are bastards you're right they were mean little bastards does that feel good mark if it does this is incredible you guys don't even know me and you're accepting me into your club community community hey you know really it feels like I found a
35:15 home we loved your brother I hope you know how lucky you are that out there in the rest of America everyone is on their own just trying to stay afloat and you guys you have each other no we have each other Marcus G you're a role model to us all I wouldn't even be here today if I hadn't had the good fortune of getting cast into play by David Henry Guang [Applause]
36:13 Stewart sort of call so late but do you think biddies still available I don't think Markus is working out yeah okay David it's Marcus uh can we talk I just got a call from the producers this is kind of important call me please look it's uh it's it's just really important that you when I talk okay I assume you know what's going on and if this is what you want I understand I I just like the chance to hear from you
37:01 it's Marcus I met Logan Airport my flight starts boarding in 20 minutes it's final call I'm heading back to San Francisco I just wanted to say thank you I got to work with some really wonderful artists and and maybe even through everything that happened understand a little bit better Who I am talk to you sometime okay Associated Press March 15 1993 face-value the new Broadway comedy by the author of M butterfly clothes before its official
37:48 opening shutting down after 8 preview performances at a loss of more than two million dollars hello would this be Margaret fund director of the Asian American Legal Defense and education fund David yeah it's David Wong David Henry Hwang David are you drunk no no maybe a little listen I don't know if you know but my show it could get kind of close yes you told me last night do you still think I'm an Asian American role no David it's 2:00 a.m. I mean isn't there somebody else you can call I mean we hardly know each
38:34 other it's it's it's just that I always thought that his civil rights as far as civil rights attorneys go that um if you're kind of hot I'm going to hang up but Margaret David yes you are still an asian-american role model good night hello ah hello son alright dad and just gonna wait to see how you're doing great I'm doing great and how are things uh money-wise dad and yep I wanted to tell you I just gave a big donation to your friend Bill Clinton Ted he's not my
39:21 friend I just are you supporter him didn't you I spoke to one of his guys from his office I told him that I wanted to start a new group Chinese Republican bankers fork that is great dad listen I really can't think about this right now son oh why don't you come on board of my bank what well marty deluca just died and there's an empty space to fill what would my title be director of nepotism if that's the title you like fine you can add it dad I'm completely not qualified you're my son aren't you and you know we pay our board members honorarium for
40:08 attending meetings just a few thousand dollars buts better than nothing dad and maybe you'll decide you like banking just out of curiosity hey I said a few thousand dollars per year per meeting I need a motion to approve the budget so moved that sag uh-oh second that's good son he's learning fast all in favor say aye aye all opposed okay we found office space right in the center of Beijing a brand-new building beautiful Henri
40:55 congratulations this is a big feel I feel so excited like like a pioneer a Yankee traitor bitterness on Monday we're putting out a press release to announce the opening of our Beijing office ah East will become the first American bank to do business in the People's Republic of China Oh ever a sign the lease our new landlord took me to a karaoke bar guess what I said you know if I guess my way that's right they were so moved it was beautiful
41:40 meeting adjourned Oh David my wife and I went out last night to a musical show Oh oh great great uh would you see the king and I and David the guy who played the king you know him I know a lot of Asian actors uh what was his name what was his name uh he was in one of your plays Oh which one yeah face face to face the fact I saw you yes yes Beauty Wang is in the king of no no that wasn't his name but who else could know he have the Chinese name it can't be strange thing though he didn't look very Chinese [Music]
42:29 [Applause] [Music] [Applause] yeah [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] well we hope you're enjoying that so far make sure you get you tune in tomorrow for the finale but in the meantime leave us some comments in the section below what do you think about a play coming to
43:15 life in the form of the YouTube video we'd love to hear what you think and be kind and be kind oh yeah
