Broadway's Chinese Themes and China

Author: Du Wenwei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-04-01
Features: As the title suggests, this book is dedicated to exploring Chinese themes and Chinese opera reflected on Broadway theater stages in the United States. It is both an academic work and a historical account for general readers to understand the cultural exchange between Chinese and American theater. The book spans from the mid-19th century when Americans first encountered Chinese people and Chinese opera to the successful Broadway production of "M.Butterfly" by Chinese-American writer Huang Zeren in 1988. The theaters located on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York, are the center of American theater performances, making Broadway synonymous with American theater. Any play that achieves a successful run in a Broadway theater will gain fame across the United States and the entire English-speaking world, and even the Western world, leading to its performances in theaters worldwide. For the same reason, most plays that achieve success in performances across the United States will also be brought to Broadway, and then use Broadway's reputation to expand to other places. Practically and theoretically, any play that portrays Chinese themes or incorporates traditional Chinese opera performance techniques can only reach the widest understanding and expand its influence among Americans and Westerners through Broadway. The book is divided into nine chapters. The first chapter discusses "M.Butterfly," whose successful Broadway production marked a new milestone in reflecting Chinese themes and Chinese theatrical styles. The following eight chapters provide a historical analysis and discussion of a series of Broadway plays involving Chinese themes, Chinese characters, and Chinese opera.