'Porcelain Mask': strong voices for stories from Asian women
By Christy Desmith By Christy DeSmith
Special to the Pioneer Press
Article Last Updated: 09/16/2008 11:27:20 PM CDT

Two fresh one-acts constitute Mu Performing Arts' latest show, "Under the Porcelain Mask: Asian Women Speak Out." The first, and the strongest, is "Sia(b)," a new play by Minnesota actor-playwright May Lee-Yang.

Made with Hmong and English language dialogue, the play traces the Anglicization of Lee-Yang's first name. She starts, as a baby, with a name that has five syllables loaded with history and context, but the INS and her fourth-grade teacher end up mangling the pronunciation. What's more, Lee-Yang didn't want to bother white folks with her long, difficult name — so she, too, was complicit in the loss of this heritage. But she now seeks to reclaim her name.

Lee-Yang also uses the play to reconnect with the "heart" of the Hmong people — in particular, her own family. But she realizes that, for the Hmong, the soul rests in another organ. "Sia(b) is the Hmong word for heart," she says. "But it also means liver."

It's a complicated story, yes, but the play's puzzle-like construction is highly engaging: Lee-Yang plays herself, a pleasant young lady who has adopted the Midwestern tendency to end each sentence with a lilt. Katie Ka Vang also plays Lee-Yang — but she's the truer self, the conscience or the voice within that's at once impetuous, revelatory and far more delicate than Lee-Yang's public face. The play is often goofy and at times mournful, but the playwright's overarching quest for understanding and self-discovery is so true it borders on heroic.

Asian women front and center

September 16, 2008

Cast as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz," an Asian-American performer begins to sing the show's big number, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." But as soon as she launches into what should be her glorious turn, some uninvited other characters start to ambush her onstage.

There's the hunched peasant, looking up with her mouth half open and offering a bowl of rice. There's the geisha-style prostitute suggestively licking her tongue and offering come-hithers. And there's a sneaky, murderous woman with a big, raised knife, her figure casting a huge shadow.

Dorothy (Rose Le Tran) remains cool in her big moment. She takes a knife of her own and slays all the stereotypes of Asian-American women. Valiantly, she then completes the song.

The scene is the climax of "Asiamnesia," Sun Mee Chomet's funny and felicitous one-act that premiered over the weekend under director Randy Reyes at the Playwrights' Center. Chomet, who also acts in the playlet, has written a wryly funny look at the prism that imprisons Asian-American performers. Hers is not the first take on the subject of constricting stereotypes. There are images of other ethnic minorities that easily spring to mind if you do quick word associations with the average Joe.

And yet what makes "Asiamnesia" so interesting is its brash, irreverent take on the subject. It could have been a droning study of victimhood. The premise is that an Asian-American actor has been cast to play the first Asian woman in America, brought for display by circus impresario P.T. Barnum. The character has no lines, which is a big disappointment to some historical figures gathered for a reunion to give the young actor advice.

"Asiamnesia" has fun with the subject, including a cattle-call casting bit that recalls scenes from Robert Townsend's "Hollywood Shuffle." The show also references "Top Girls" and "Hamlet," among others.

By AcidCore:
I went to see these 2 one act plays on opening night. I will have to agree with the other reviewer that DeSmith missed the point of "Asiamnesia." She is correct in that the story is based around historical Asian actresses, but that is only for example. It speaks about how actors of color make up such a small part of Hollywood today and spotlights how long they have struggled to be seen and heard. Being Asian myself and having 2 daughters, I would love to see Asian women on stage and screen that they could have as role models. But as it is, they want to be blond and blue-eyed because that's all they see. And even if there happens to be an Asian actor on screen, they typically play stereotyped roles which makes me sick and don't want my daughters to see.

I recommend everyone see the plays and judge for yourself. It spoke to me but obviously not to DeSmith.

By Hae Ryun
To criticize Sun Mee Chomet's "Asiamnesia" for being "self-referential" because it examines the stereotypes facing actors is to ignore the overwhelming influence of cultural stereotypes on society as a whole. How we develop our sense of self and others (hence the world) is hugely informed by tired tropes that just won't die. Chomet's piece destroys them with biting social satire and attention to historical references. It further illustrates how these stereotypes directly infuse the psychological development of young Asian American women through the voice of a girl on a playground. As an audience member, Chomet's piece thus gives me exactly what I hope to get from theatre. That is, through a specific point of view, I gain insight into universal themes which affect us all. It's unfortunate that DeSmith did not recognize this. Perhaps she doesn't think they affect her.