Chinglish

   Pulitzer Prize winner David Henry Hwang has crafted a relevant and  timely piece about business relations between the US and China with his new play, Chinglish. In this comedic drama, a white businessman named Daniel attempts to establish a relationship with a potential client in China, however, he finds the challenge to be far more difficult than he could have anticipated. Language is only one of the many barriers Daniel must overcome if he wants to operate successfully in this new and uncharted territory.

  To help him through these barriers David hires a consultant named Peter who is a British man living in China. David owns a small family owned signage business in Ohio and is making a bid to provide the signs for a new international cultural center in Guiyang China. In order for his bid to be approved he must first establish a relationship with the minister of culture, but he must also win over his vice minister Xi Yan. Very soon we realize that all of the main characters have their own secret agendas and that nothing is exactly as it appears to have been.

   Gary Wilmes who plays David is very funny at times, and also at times charming. He doesn't imbue the character with very much vulnerability, or for that matter likability, so it's very difficult for the audience to give a crap about his plight. Wilmes performance doesn't change much through out the course of the play so we are left with something very static and one dimensional.

   Jennifer Lim as Xi Yan, however, is a complete revelation. Her performance is incredibly nuanced and dynamic. We see the shift in her characters thoughts and moods without always understanding what she is saying (90% of her dialogue is in Mandarin Chinese, most of which is translated with super titles). Through Ms. Lin's body language we are also able to see the complications of being a woman in China, and a woman in a prominent position at that.

  The rest of the cast is quite good, Stephen Pucci as Peter and Larry Lei Zhang and Minister Cai Guoliang turn in excellent performances. Angela Lin has a scene stealing turn as an inept translator very early on in the piece and is a joy to watch. The rest of the cast is also fine.

   Set design by David Korin is highly functional, using two turn tables to transform from offices to hotel lobbies, to hotel rooms, and restaurants quickly. He is also able to evoke the feeling that we're not in Kansas anymore, without making us feel like we're just in a Chinese restaurant down town. The lighting and projections are also effective.

    Chinglish closed on Broadway January 29th 2012. Due to it's predominantly Chinese casting requirements, and also the requirement that all but one of it's actors speak fluent Mandarin Chinese I can't see this piece being done heavily in regional or community theaters. If you DO notice it playing at a Theater near  you - see it because it's an incredibly smart and funny piece of theater that will also leave you with something to chew on later.