Arts & Culture

Syracuse Stage Will Produce David Henry Hwang’s ‘Chinglish’ in 2014

Friday, April 5, 2013, By News Staff

“Chinglish,” a hilarious new comedy about the misadventures of miscommunication by Tony Award-winning writer David Henry Hwang (“M. Butterfly”), will run Feb. 26 through March 16, 2014, in the Archbold Theatre at Syracuse Stage.

An American businessman arrives in a bustling Chinese province looking to score a lucrative contract, but the deal isn’t the only thing lost in translation as he tangles with a government official, a bumbling consultant and a suspiciously sexy bureaucrat. Directed by May Adrales, who recently directed Hwang’s “The Dance and the Railroad” at New York City’s Signature Theatre, “Chinglish” will be a co-production with Portland Center Stage in Portland, Ore.

Performed in both English and Mandarin (with English subtitles), “Chinglish” received critical acclaim on Broadway during its 2011-2012 run at the the Longacre Theatre on West 48th Street. “A triumph in any language,” said New York Magazine. “’Chinglish’ is sexy, fun and hilarious.” Bloomberg called it “a lethal comedy about business, sex and the failure to communicate that bristles with intelligence.” Time magazine named “Chinglish” one of the best plays of 2011.

Throughout his career, Tony Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Hwang has explored the complexities of forging Eastern and Western cultures in a contemporary America.

In addition to winning a 1988 Tony Award, Hwang’s “M. Butterfly” won Drama Desk, John Gassner, and Outer Critics Circle awards, and he was also a finalist for the 1989 Pulitzer Prize. “M. Butterfly” was produced at Syracuse Stage in 2002.

Other award-winning plays by Hwang include “Golden Child” and “Yellow Face,” and as a book writer for musicals his successes include “Aida” with music and lyrics by Elton John and Tim Rice, and a Tony-nominated revision of the Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields’ musical “Flower Drum Song.”

Hwang has been awarded numerous grants, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim and Rockefeller Foundations, the New York Foundation for the Arts and the PEW Charitable Trust. From 1994-2001, Hwang served by appointment of President Clinton on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He has also been honored with the 2012 William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award.

On April 15, current season ticket holders can renew their six-play package that will include a ticket for “Chinglish” (Feb. 26-March 16, 2014) and a ticket for “A Christmas Carol” (Nov. 23-Dec. 29, 2013). Additional single tickets and tickets to the general public will be available at later dates TBA. The complete 2013-2014 season at Syracuse Stage will be announced in mid-April.