Edward Hong – The Nerds Of Color
Henry Ong‘s final play Ascent, now having its world premiere at the Skylight Theatre Company, is an urgently relevant production from Plain Wood Productions based on a true story about Chinese aerospace engineer Qian Xuesen. Though the play’s pacing is bogged down by far too many short scenes coupled with laborious scene transitions and the second half of Qian Xuesen‘s fascinatingly complex life in China unfortunately omitted, it has tremendous heart that is filled with incredible performances from their ensemble cast. Read more…
Elaine Mura – Splash Mags
ASCENT will definitely appeal to history buffs, as well as to individuals focused on the immigrant experience. Unfortunately, despite the excellent work done by the cast, the play tends toward an academic rather than a human focus. Had the late author been alive today and available for consultation and re-writes, ASCENT may have strayed from the largely factual into the inner workings of the tale. Read more…