Travis Michael Holder – TicketHoldersLA
Philip Kan Gotanda’s groundbreaking play, now in an electrically charged revival at East West Players chosen to honor the company’s prestigious 60th anniversary, was first performed at Berkeley Rep in 1988 before being brought to LATC and journeying on to a much-acclaimed run off-Broadway. The fact that all these years later it is still an important seminal work in the canon of Asian American theatre makes it the perfect choice to mount again nearly a quarter-century later. Read more…
Deborah Klugman – Stage Raw
…whatever theme or issue of contention the play presents, it’s folded into a larger perspective of human nature — embedded in the writing and nurtured with superb craft by both Han Yee and Kim. Read more…
Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color
East West Players’ Yankee Dawg You Die is an engaging revival to remind us how much has changed but how much we have still to go. Read more…
Terry Morgan – ArtsBeatLA
One of the most important things that art does is to put a spotlight on or explore topics that would otherwise not get the public notice that they deserve. The primary beauty of art is the opportunity to perceive something through another person’s experience, to expand our sense of empathy, connect and perhaps to change the way we might think about things. Philip Kan Gotanda’s Yankee Dawg You Die has very worthy subject matter – the challenges of Asian American actors to get fair treatment in the entertainment industry – and it’s receiving a well-directed and acted revival at East West Players. However, although the content remains sadly relevant even today, the writing seems less effective now than perhaps it did when it premiered in 1988. Read more…