Theater in NYC

Cultural Relativity

Looking for a night filled with laughter and fun? Then David Henry Hwang’s Ch’ing-lish at the Longacre Theater might be right for you. Every aspect of the performance was extremely fascinating. Furthermore, the actors were able to capture your attention with their humor and wit. From the opening scene I was hooked and couldn’t take my eyes off of the stage. In my opinion, all of the elements of the production were able to come together and stand united to display the differences between American and Chinese cultures.

One of the main things that stuck out to me was the effectiveness of the actors in portraying their characters. From the instance Daniel Cavanaugh (Gary Wilmes), the head of an American sign making company, stepped into China you could clearly see that he was lost. He did not understand the culture, the people, and most of all he did not understand the language. He was totally misplaced in a foreign country. During the first scene of the play he explains the intricacies of the Chinese culture and how hard it can be to keep up. However, he is then confronted by Peter (Stephen Pucci), a British schoolteacher who is trying to make it as a business consultant. Peter acted as the bridge between the two cultures and tries to figure out his place in life. He does not know where he belongs and struggles throughout the play to figure out his true calling. Pucci did an excellent job in demonstrating Peter’s journey to find out who he is. On the other side of the spectrum we have Xi Pan (Jennifer Lim), the Chinese vice minister of culture who is transformed into Daniel’s ally and lover. Unlike Peter and Daniel, Xi Pan knows what she wants in life and knows what she must do to get it. Lim does an excellent job in portraying a resilient Chinese woman who has a clear understanding of her purpose, which is to serve her husband and make sure he has all of his needs. Hwang was able to make use of the personalities of each of the characters to reveal the true natures of those who belong to each culture.

David Corins, the set designer, created elaborate settings that truly captured the essences of both cultures. The transitions between each of the scenes were effective and efficient. In my opinion, the use of the revolving set represented Daniel’s perspective in his unpredictable world. At times, he had no idea what was happening and was forced to stand on the sidelines as the world continued to turn around him. There were times throughout the play where he seemed to be confused and in a sense dizzy from the things going on around him. For instance, when he was in the meeting with the minister, it seemed as if he was lost in the background and had no idea what he should be doing. Instead of getting involved, he chose to let Peter handle a large portion of the meeting. It was difficult for him to absorb everything he was experiencing and he had a hard time taking it all in. Just like the world around him was spinning, so too was the set. Corins was able to capture the true nature of Chinese culture through his intricate settings and stage designs. There were many scenes that, in my mind, depicted the true essence of Chinese culture through their beauty and artwork. One set design that caught my attention was that of the restaurant. It truly represented the atmosphere of an Chinese restaurant. It was filled with many Chinese symbols and signs and gave me the feeling that I was eating in my local Chinese restaurant, two blocks away from my home. This is just one of the many was that the set designer was able to portray the Chinese culture through the various settings of the play.

Throughout the play one of the major differences between the two cultures was that of the differences in mindset and views between the men and women who belong to each of the cultures. Through the script, Hwang did an excellent job at highlighting these differences. One scene that had a great impact on me was when Xi Pan and Daniel discussed their affair and the way it will shape their futures. Daniel saw their affair as a symbol of love and passion. He had high hopes for the future and believed that they would live a life together. However, Xi saw it as an escape. She believed that the affair would actually save her marriage. She believed that by doing this she was not only protecting herself, but also protecting her husband from a divorce. It is not right for us to judge Xi’s opinion, because it is based on her cultural experiences. Both characters held certain opinions based on the atmospheres that they grew up in and their cultures shaped the way they viewed and judged certain actions.

When the play ended, I was surprised to see that I got that much enjoyment out of a play that I had to read half of the script off of a screen. I found myself amused by many of the differences that were displayed between the two cultures and was intrigued at how each culture viewed the world. The director, Leigh Silverman, was able to combine all of the elements of the play to create a performance that was both informative and captivating. The performance not only gave me a laugh but also taught me a valuable lesson; that you cannot negatively judge a certain person just because he his culture is different from yours.