Cultural misinterpretations are fairly common in today’s time, especially when one doesn’t speak the language of a foreign place with certain fluency. “Chinglish,” a new play produced by David Henry Hwang at the Longacre Theater, sheds light on the translations of mistranslations of one American businessman desiring to be successful in China. In his review, Ben Brantley does an excellent job providing a backstory and particular details that would attract a multitude of people to see the play. He starts off setting the stage and the characters and describing the difference between two societies: American and Chinese. Brantley goes on to mention how language produces not only obstacles but also comic relief and misunderstandings in love. “Take notice of safe: the slippery are very crafty” is one great example of such amusing mistranslations between two cultures.

Although much positive light and feedback is presented within the review, Ben Brantley makes sure to critic minor nuances he found. Unlike other pieces of work Hwang created, such as “M. Butterfly”, “Chinglish” fails to grasp a deeper sense of emotion. The play seems to take a lighthearted approach to language and cultural differences, embedded with an overall sense of comedy instead of heart-wrenching challenges and successes. As a whole, “Chinglish” is a unique production that portrays how people misinterpret and fail to understand the simplicities of a foreign language and culture. With its comical story line and dialogue mostly in Mandarin Chinese, “Chinglish” is a warming and worthwhile piece of art for all to see.