''Yellow Fever'' is a play by
R. A. Shiomi, which takes place on
Powell Street in
Japantown, Vancouver, a gathering place for the local Japanese-Canadian culture. Set in the 1970s, the
Sam Spade
Sam Spade is a fictional character and the protagonist of Dashiell Hammett's 1930 novel '' The Maltese Falcon''. Spade also appeared in four lesser-known short stories by Hammett.
''The Maltese Falcon'', first published as a serial in the pulp ...
-like main character, Sam Shikaze, must work to unravel the mysteries that surround him.
[Oliver, Edith. "Rosie's cafe." The New Yorker 63.n36 (26 October 1987): 130(1). General Reference Center Gold. Gale.] First produced by the
Pan Asian Repertory Theatre
The Pan Asian Repertory Theatre is a New York City-based theatre group that explores the Asian-American experience and provides professional opportunities for Asian-American artists to collaborate. Pan-Asian was founded by Tisa Chang and Ernest A ...
in 1982, it received positive reviews
[ and had a successful run off-Broadway.
]
Plot summary
Sam Shikaze, a smooth private eye, narrates his own story about what happened when he was hired to find the missing Cherry Blossom Queen. He is soon trapped in a web of racism and political intrigue that seems to lead back to the Hong Kong tongs. Chuck Chan is a lawyer who tried to help solve the case, while Nancy Wing is a beautiful reporter who is searching for a story. Captain Kadota, an old friend of Sam's, offers his aid as a member of the police force, although Sam and Kadota do not see eye-to-eye on politics.
;Characters and actors in the premier production:[Gussow, Mel. "Yellow fever." The New York Times 132 (2 December 1982): 24(N) pC21(L). General Reference Center Gold. Gale.]
*Sam Shikaze (Donald Li
Donald Li (born 1961) is a Chinese actor. He is best known for ''Big Trouble in Little China'' and '' The Avengers''. He played multiple parts in Alan Cook's stage adaptation of John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck Jr. (; February 27, 1902 ...
)
*Rosie (Carol Honda)
*Goldberg (James Jenner)
*Chuck Chan (Henry Yuk)
*Nancy Wing (Freda Foh Shen
Freda Foh Shen (born April 25, 1948) is an American actress. She is best known for the voice of Fa Li in the 1998 Disney animated film ''Mulan'' and its 2004 direct-to-video sequel ''Mulan II'', and for playing Anne Lee on '' 9-1-1'' (2019-prese ...
)
*Sergeant Mackenzie (Jeffrey Spolan)
*Capt. Kenji Kadota (Ernest Abuba
Ernest Abuba (August 25, 1947 – June 21, 2022) was a Filipino-American actor, playwright, director and co-founder of the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. He appeared on stage and on film, with more than one hundred stage appearances.
Early life
...
)
*Superintendent Jameson (James Jenner)
Presented by the Pan Asian Repertory Theater:
*Raul Aranasm, stage director
*Tisa Chang
Tisa Chang (born April 5, 1941) is a Chinese-American actress and theatre director born in Chongqing. Her father, Ping-Hsun Chang, was a diplomat, and her family moved from China to New York City when she was a child. Chang was interested in thea ...
, artistic director
*Susan Socolowski, administrative director
Awards and honors
* 1982: Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award
* 1982: "Bernie" for new play from the ''San Francisco Chronicle''
* 1983: Obie Award
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
to Ernest Abuba for performance
References
External links
*http://www.panasianrep.org
**http://www.panasianrep.org/panasian/pastplays.htm
*http://www.nytimes.com/1982/12/02/theater/theater-yellow-fever-by-the-pan-asian-rep.html
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yellow Fever (Play)
1982 plays
Canadian plays