Marvelous . . . the conceit is elegantly of a piece, yet Hwang is able
to keep turning it in on itself to reveal new ambiguities, absurdities,
subversions and paradoxes.--Chicago Reader
Hwang's plays collectively chart the evolving definition of what it is
to be an 'American.' . . . His art has illuminated and anticipated our
ongoing national story with a sensibility unlike any other in the
American theater.--Frank Rich
Springing from the author's personal experiences in China over the past
five years, Chinglish follows a Midwestern American businessman
desperately seeking to score a lucrative contact for his family's firm
as he travels to China only to discover how much he doesn't understand.
Named for the unique and often comical third language that evolves from
attempts to translate Chinese signs into English, Chinglish explores
the challenges of doing business in a culture whose language--and ways
of communicating--are worlds apart from our own. David Henry Hwang's
best new work since M. Butterfly, this shrewd, timely and razor-sharp
comedy (Chicago Tribune) received its Broadway premiere in fall 2011.
David Henry Hwang is the author of the Tony Award-winning M.
Butterfly, the Pulitzer Prize-finalist Yellow Face, Golden Child,
FOB, Family Devotions, and the books for musicals Aida (as
co-author), Flower Drum Song (2002 Broadway revival), and Tarzan,
among other works.
