Self-described as an “unreliable memoir” by three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony winner David Henry Hwang (the first Asian American playwright to receive the award), Yellow Face, which made its Obie-winning Off-Broadway debut to mixed reviews (some downright scathing) at The Public Theater in 2007, has now opened in a slightly revised and shorter but completely hilarious and astute iteration on Broadway, for a limited engagement at Roundabout’s Todd Haimes Theatre. The wry mix of fact and fiction (and you won’t know which part is invented until the very end) takes a razor-sharp look at issues of racial identity, artistic freedom, media frenzy, and political bias (which are even more timely and prominent now than they were in 2007) in Hwang’s signature incisive no-holds-barred farcical style, under the fast-paced direction of long-time collaborator Leigh Silverman (who also helmed the Off-Broadway run). Ryan Eggold, Marinda Anderson, Daniel Dae Kim, and Kevin Del Aguila. Photo by Joan Marcus. The central narrative revolves around the debacle caused by Hwang’s character DHH, who, after publicly protesting the “yellowface” casting of a white actor (Jonathan Pryce) in a lead Asian role in the 1991 Broadway transfer of the London production of Miss Saigon (for which Pryce won both an Olivier and a Tony Award), inadvertently does the same in his new 1993 play Face Value, which was inspired by the controversy (and, in reality, was a $2 million flop, closing after only eight preview performances). Under the mistaken assumption that the evasive Marcus G. Dahlman, who gave the most compelling audition, was of mixed race and at least part Asian (though he doesn’t look it and there’s a rule of not asking), he chooses him for the role. Oops! Consequently, questions arise – “Is he or isn’t he?” “Did he or didn’t he?” – a maelstrom erupts in the press and entertainment community, and DHH decides to save his own reputation by inventing a false name (Marcus Gee) and background (he’s a Siberian Jew, and Siberia is in Asia) for the rising star, who goes along with the deception, embraces his new identity, and sees his career soar. Francis Jue and Daniel Dae Kim. Photo by Joan Marcus. There’s also an intertwined sub-plot involving Hwang’s real-life father Henry Yuan Hwang (here called HYH), an immigrant from China who gained wealth and status as the founder of the Far East National Bank in California, the first federally chartered Asian-American bank in the US. Though his intent was to realize his American Dream and to provide help for other immigrants, it becomes the subject of a Senate investigation (later dismissed) for contributing money to political campaigns, ostensibly to peddle Chinese influence, with Board member DHH and (the white) Marcus also implicated as Chinese collaborators (in a prescient parallel to the current case against our NYC Mayor and his administration), with clear overtones of bias raised in the play. Will they save themselves from prosecution by coming clean about the actor’s true race? Which of the events in the story really happened and which didn’t? Will there be a happy ending for the characters and increased socio-cultural awareness on the part of the playwright – and theatergoers – in this semi-autobiographical tongue-in-cheek farce that is not just wildly entertaining but also addresses these momentous ongoing topics? Francis Jue, Marinda Anderson, Kevin Del Aguila, Daniel Dae Kim, Ryan Eggold, and Shannon Tyo. Photo by Joan Marcus. A stellar company of seven is led by the expressively satirical Daniel Dae Kim as DHH, whose face, voice, and body language say it all; Ryan Eggold as the willingly misleading Marcus, who completely buys into his newly reimagined life as an “ethnic tourist;” and Francis Jue as HYH, who ebulliently expresses pride in his son for garnering so much attention and publicity (so what if it’s all negative, at least everybody knows his name). Jue, Kevin Del Aguila, Marinda Anderson, Greg Keller, and Shannon Tyo appear in a total of nearly 50 multiple quick-change supporting roles (with Patrick Mulryan serving as voice coach), often with gender-swapped and racially reversed casting that adds immeasurably to the pointed humor. Among the many highlights are Anderson’s sidesplitting impersonation of Jane Krakowski and her other characters’ readily legible reactions of disbelief at being told that Marcus is Asian; Tyo’s Leah – DHH’s former romantic partner and Marcus’s current live-in girlfriend – being shocked to find out that he’s really not; and the group scene of Marcus and DHH appearing at an Asian-American student event, with the credulous college kids all rallying in support of them and passionately berating “cultural imperialism” (while DHH pulls out an atlas he just happens to have with him to show them where Siberia is). All masterfully deliver the witty laughs, the distinctive (sometimes well-known) personalities (Hwang doesn’t hesitate to name names), and the overarching message of representation, inclusion, and treating everyone equally, without discrimination, while also championing their different heritages and identities and making the difficult conversation fun and accessible. Daniel Dae Kim, Ryan Eggold, and Marinda Anderson. Photo by Joan Marcus. A clean minimalist set by Arnulfo Maldonado, with rotating open-sided cubes, allows for the easy transitions of scenes, enhanced with focused spotlighting and changes in solid colors by Lap Chi Chu, and back wall screens that display projections by Yee Eun Nam highlighting the critical reviews and deprecating comments leveled against DHH, which are also heard as voiceovers in the clear sound design by Caroline Eng and Kate Marvin. Costumes by Anita Yavich, with hair and make-up by Will Vicari, signal the actors’ frequent shifts in roles and identities (including the now-Asian Marcus wearing a Nehru jacket!). If you can’t make it to the theater to see this brilliantly funny, relevant, and thought-provoking comedy performed by a spot-on cast, you can listen to a new audio recording of the play on Audible, released in May, and featuring the voices of Kim and Jue, along with Jason Biggs, Ashley Park, Wendell Pierce, Benedict Wong, Noah Bean, Dick Cavett, Margaret Cho, Ronan Farrow, Fritz Friedman, Joel De La Fuente, Margaret Fung, Gish Jen, and more – some playing themselves. Either way, be sure not to miss it. Running Time: Approximately one hour and 40 minutes, without intermission. Yellow Face plays through Sunday, November 24, 2024, at Roundabout Theatre Company, performing at the Todd Haimes Theatre, 227 West 42nd Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $70-348, including fees), go online.