By equating cultural nationalism with issues of gender and sexuality, the young agent points out how and why nations like France or the United States tend to find their altercations with Asia dissolving into a muddle worthy of E.M. Forster. But it's a testament to the quality and wisdom of this play that its themes are still so resonant. Even though its protagonist is fictional, the play was based on a 1986 newspaper story about a middle-age French diplomat who was compromised by an actress of the Beijing opera. The play has its overly preachy and melodramatic moments, but its ersatz blend of theatrical styles is not only a visual tour de force but savvy and ironic cultural commentary. Amster's lush production is very admirable, not least because it takes a play generally thought to require aesthetic distance and grandiose staging and makes it work on a tiny stage.
Transitions flow beautifully and the piece is exceptionally well cast, even in the supporting roles.
There is just one disappointment. Both Kennedy and Shin are fine, intelligent actors who, individually, have many compelling and arresting moments here. But, on opening night at least, they did not entirely connect. Thus, at the end of the play, these two hapless lovers do not feel sufficiently inter-dependent, which is the very state in which East and West always find themselves. Major events in 2001 Get the inside scoop on what's happening each week.