Photos by Doug Catiller

Written by Patrick Chavis

The Chinese Lady is playing now at the Chance Theatre from May 16 to June 8, 2025.

Witty and full of life, the Chinese Lady at the Chance Theatre, directed by Shinshin Yuder Tsai, is a show within a show and a deeper look into early America and exploitation through the lens of a young 14-year-old girl and her translator, Atung (Albert Park).

It is based on a true story about Afong Moy (Michelle Krusiec), the first recorded Chinese woman to set foot in America. In this two-hander, Afong Moy performs shows, visits the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, and much more while expressing her perspective as a young Chinese girl while representing her entire culture and experiencing a new one.

Story:

This show has a meta aspect to it, as the main character and her translator are self-aware participants in our show, talking to the audience from the past, which is quite groovy. It’s like you get a chance to experience how these performances happened and hear from the person doing it. As we learn, the operation of translating, especially in the early years, was fraught with misunderstanding. This is played up quite well in a comedic way with the various people in the play, such as President Andrew Jackson, and a bizarre conversation between these historical figures.

Acting:

This show, as are most two-handers, is dependent on the lead, even more so in this show with Krusiec having most of the heavy lifting in this production. While I found her performance largely convincing, the writing in this from playwright Lloyd Suh is quite witty, with plenty of dry humor sprinkled throughout. There were enough mistakes with line memorization to take you out of the story, at least a couple of times during my performance. It is understandable though given the challenges of a 1-hour and 20-minute show with very few breaks in between.

Story-wise, Atung (Albert Park) is relegated to translating and staying quiet on the side of the stage while Afong Moy talks to the audience. Later in the play, Atung is given a chance to express himself in a monologue, similar to Afong Moy, and for me, he stole the show with a devastating, emotional, and honest monologue about his dehumanization, his complicity in that system for survival, and his sorrow for himself, Afong Moy, and his people.

Set & Costume Design:

Maybe you had a chance to see them: Gloria, which won a couple of OCTG awards last year, and Alma, which received an OCR award for Best Writing for Playwright Benjamin Benne. Contributing to scenic design for both of these productions, Christopher Scott Murillo is back again, this time with an elegant, Chinese boutique stage design, cleverly compartmentalized in a box, like a gift. Oh, I just got that! Oh my heart, that was brilliant. Yes, it looks like a literal box that opens up, presenting the stage. Darkness, silhouette, and curtains are also used in this design, which is beautiful and functional.

Costume designer Grace Kim created costumes as vibrant and glamorous as the setting. Atung’s look is dark and simple, with colors that almost blend in with the set. It contrasts with the much brighter and even exaggerated flowery looks for Afong Moy. The visuals correspond well with the themes in the play.

Possibly more engaging movement in the early parts of the play and a better grasp of the dialogue in this play would only improve a show that already has a lot to offer with its unique perspective on history and plenty of laughs.

Review

8.3 Overall

0 Users (0 votes)

Story8.5

Acting7.9

Set & Design8.5

Costumes8.8

Entertainment8

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Good Show! OCR Recommended!