''Be Like Water'' (2008) is a play written by

Dan Kwong Dan Kwong is an American performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist. He has been presenting his solo performances since 1989, often drawing upon his own life experiences to explore personal, historical, and social issues. His works ...

, originally produced at

East West Players East West Players is an Asian American theatre organization in Los Angeles, founded in 1965. As the nation's first professional Asian American theatre organization, East West Players continues to produce works and educational programs that give v ...

, in association with

Cedar Grove OnStage Cedar Grove OnStage is an Asian Pacific American theatre arts organization established in 2006, based in Los Angeles, co-founded by playwright Tim Toyama and actor/director Chris Tashima who serves as Artistic Director. It is a division of the en ...

. The play received its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima, at East West Players'

David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...

Theater at the Union Center for the Arts in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

.''Be Like Water''
on EWP site The story follows a young

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

girl in 1970s

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, who is visited by the Ghost of

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...

Play summary

Tracy Fong is a 13-year-old ass-kicking, gung-fu fanatic tomboy, challenged by school bullies, airhead rivals, and a mother who just wants her to be a "normal girl." When bad goes to worse, the Ghost of Bruce Lee appears to teach her the true meaning of strength and the true power of water.

Characters

; Tracy Fong: 13, Chinese Japanese American. Tomboy-ish, tough, quick-tempered, defiant. ; Ghost of Bruce Lee: 32, Tracy's mentor,

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...

. The greatest martial artist in the world. Cocky, intense, philosophical yet funny. ; Kimiko Fong: 38, Tracy's mother,

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 census, they have declined in number to constitute the sixth largest Asi ...

. Elegant, tightly-wound, upper-class roots, can go from cheery to icy in a flash. ; Frank Fong: 35, Tracy's father, Chinese American. Easy going working-class guy, droll sense of humor, not easily angered. ; Bruce Lee: 13, Tracy's best friend, Chinese American. Scrawny, nerdy, acerbic wit, great

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

-dancer. An unapologetic oddball. ; Jeremy Morton: 14, School bully, Caucasian. Working-class, tough, angry. ; Tina Kawai MacDonald: 13, Tracy's classmate, Hapa (Japanese Caucasian). Pretty, fashionable dresser, highly groomed, rather superficial. ; Two Hooded-

Ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enem ...

s: Companions of the Ghost in his Nether-world domain.

World Premiere company

East West Players, Los Angeles, California; Opened September 17, 2009; Closed October 12, 2009

Original Los Angeles cast

(in order of appearance) * ''Ghost of Bruce Lee'' – Cesar Cipriano * ''Tracy'' – Saya Tomioka * ''Bruce Lee'' – Shawn Huang * ''Jeremy'' – Jonathan Decker * ''Frank'' – Michael Sun Lee * ''Kimiko'' – Pam Hayashida * ''Tina'' – Ariel Rivera * ''Hooded Ninjas'' – Michael Sun Lee, Pam Hayashida, Ariel Rivera, Jonathan Decker

Los Angeles production staff

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

– Chris Tashima * Martial Arts Choreographers –

Diana Lee Inosanto Diana Lee Inosanto is an American actress, director, stuntwoman, and martial artist. She also wrote and directed the film ''The Sensei'' (2008), as well as having written a children's book titled ''The Curious Mind of Sebastian'' in 2020. Life ...

Ron Balicki Ron Balicki (born September 2, 1963) is an American actor and stuntman for various films and television series. He is also a well known martial arts practitioner, teacher and author. He is a student and the son-in-law of Dan Inosanto. Biograph ...

* Dance Choreographer –

Blythe Matsui The name Blythe ( or ) derives from Old English ''bliþe'' ("joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant"; modern ''blithe''), and further back from Proto-Germanic ''*blithiz'' ("gentle, kind"). People *Blythe (given name), including a list of people named ...

Set Designer Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...

– Akeime Mitterlehner * Costume designer – Naomi Yoshida * Lighting designer – Jose Lopez * Sound Designer/

Music Composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...

– Dave Iwataki * Projection Designer – Alexander Gao *

Property Master The property master, often called the prop(s) master, is an artistic and organizational employee in a film, television or theatrical production who is responsible for purchasing, acquiring, manufacturing, properly placing, and/or overseeing any pro ...

– Ken Takemoto * Hair, Makeup & Mask Design – Alyssa Ravenwood *

Stage Manager Stage management is a broad field that is generally defined as the practice of organization and coordination of an event or theatrical production. Stage management may encompass a variety of activities including the overseeing of the rehearsal p ...

– Ondina V. Dominguez

Reviews

9/19/08 review by F. Kathleen Foley
for

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

9/19/08 review by Cristofer Gross
on theatertimes.org

10/17/08 review by William Hong on Asia Pacific Arts
(

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

Asia Institute)
Oct. '08 review by Edward Pollard
for

Black Belt (magazine) ''Black Belt'' is an American magazine covering martial arts and combat sports. The magazine is based in Valencia, California, and is one of the oldest titles dedicated to martial arts in the United States. History and profile The magazine was ...

Awards

* 2009 ''

Backstage Backstage most commonly refers to backstage (theatre), also in motion picture and television production. Backstage may also refer to: Film and television * ''Back Stage'' (1969 film), a silent film starring Oliver Hardy * ''Back Stage'' (1942 fil ...

'' Garland's Critics List (Jennie Webb):Garland Critics List
on Back Stage site - 3/13/09 ** CHOREOGRAPHY –

, and Blythe Matsui **SOUND DESIGN – Dave Iwataki

References

{{reflist

External links

* Playwrigh
Dan Kwong's website
2008 plays Asian-American plays Cultural depictions of Bruce Lee Martial arts mass media Plays based on real people Plays set in the 1970s Plays set in Chicago Chinese-American literature Japanese-American literature