by Susan Kim
At Theatre Four
Reviewed by Ross Adams for Theatre Reviews Limited
There's a very telling line midway through "The Joy Luck Club" where a mother tells her daughter, "This is what happens when you lack metal!" Unfortunately, much the same can be said of this production by Pan-Asian Repertory Theatre, where a powerful and inventive adaptation by Susan Kim of Amy Tan's novel is mishandled in an emotionally uncommitted and curiously rushed staging.
"The Joy Luck Club" follows the lives of four Chinese born women and their daughters who were raised in America. All of the women have made a commitment to raise their children as Americans. They succeed at this, a fact reinforced by the fact that all of the daughters marry white men (in this case played by the same actor, the miscast Scott Wakefield) and each struggles with the expectations of both cultures as they try to maintain their heritage and assimilate to American society.
Things start off promisingly enough when we first meet the members of The Joy Luck Club (four women who meet to play Mah Jong), and one by one hear the stories of their lives. Susan Kim's well-crafted and observant script is able to give the audience the essential back stories while moving the action of the daughter's lives forward. Much of the first act is told in flashback and the older members of the cast (the mothers) are able to give these scenes a sense of immediacy that is lacking in the work of their daughters. The daughters appear oddly unaffected by the experiences they recount and offer flat readings that leave the stage and audience cold. Given that the play, for the most part, is written in monolog, it lives and in this case dies on the strength and emotional commitment of the actors. The younger women fail to make these characters their own and their scenes become flat and un-involving.
Despite this, "The Joy Luck Club" has many fine moments. Kati Kuroda as the disapproving Lindo is hilarious, especially when we see her disapprove of nearly everything in the café she meets her daughter in, including the length of fur on her daughter's new coat. Her performance is spirited and deep, showing what this production could have been if it was all so well acted. Additionally, Catherine Chung's evocative yet simple set helps move the action along. The set is able to convey many different locations without seeming cluttered.
Much of what is lacking in the production lies in its direction. Most of the scenes feel glossed over and rushed. The director seems more interested in making the evening move quickly than allowing the characters to tell their stories. She needn't have worried. The "metal" contained in Susan Kim's script could have easily supported a more thorough and thoughtful production.
Reviewed on Saturday, April 24, 1999 at St. Clement's (Re-opened on Wednesday, July 7, 1999)
"THE JOY LUCK CLUB"
A play by Susan Kim based on the novel by Amy Tan. Directed and Choreographed by Tisa Chang. Set by Catherine Chung; costumes by Terry Leong; sound by Peter Griggs; lights by Victor En Yu Tan; Peking Opera movement by Lu Yu; production stage manager, James W. Carringer. At Theatre Four, 424 West 55th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues. Performances are Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $39.00 and available by calling 212-239-6200 or by clicking on "Purchase Tickets" above.
WITH: Tina Chen (Ying-Ying); Carol A. Honda (Huang TaiTai/Amah/Yang Chang); Ann Hu (Rose); Kati Kuroda (Lindo); Scarlett Lam (Jing Mei); Fay Ann Lee (Waverly); Donna Leichenko (Lena); Ben Lin (Canning/Wu Tsing/Watermelon Man); Jodi Lin (Mother of An-Mei/Matchmaker/Chwun-Yu); Tom Matsusaka (Mr. Chong/Drunk/Lau Po); Les J. N. Mau (Tin Long/Tyan Yu/Archer); Tran T. Thuc Hanh (An-Mei's Aunt/Servant/5th Wife/Chwun-Hwa); Scott Wakefield (Cliford/Harold/Rich/Ted); Jo Yang (Suyuan/2nd Wife of Wu Tsing); and Ruth Zhang (An Mei/Moon Lady).