Be Like Water Explained
Be Like Water |
Characters: | Tracy Fong Ghost of Bruce Lee Kimiko Fong Frank Fong Bruce Lee Jeremy Morton Tina Kawai MacDonald Two Black-hooded Ninjas |
Setting: | Spring, 1978 Chicago - Uptown |
Premiere: | September 2008 |
Place: | East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater Los Angeles, California |
Orig Lang: | English |
Subject: | Asian American family, identity and oppression, Bruce Lee |
Genre: | Drama, Asian American theatre |
Be Like Water (2008) is a play written by Dan Kwong, originally produced at East West Players, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage. The play received its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima, at East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts in Los Angeles.[1] The story follows a young Asian American girl in 1970s Chicago, who is visited by the Ghost of Bruce Lee.
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.[2]
Characters
- Tracy Fong: 13, Chinese Japanese American. Tomboy-ish, tough, quick-tempered, defiant.
Ghost of Bruce Lee: 32, Tracy's mentor, Chinese American. The greatest martial artist in the world. Cocky, intense, philosophical yet funny.
Kimiko Fong: 38, Tracy's mother, Japanese American. 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-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-Ninjas: 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
Reviews
Awards
See also
External links
Notes and References
- https://web.archive.org/web/20090207022642/http://eastwestplayers.org/on_the_stage/water.htm Be Like Water
- https://archive.today/20120908023349/http://www.playbill.com/events/event_detail/15132.html Be Like Water listing
- http://www.backstage.com/bso/news_reviews/features/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003950964 Garland Critics List