How far does the sound of a Pipa carry? Broadway adaptation of a Chinese classical drama | Intellect Skip to content
1981
Volume 14, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 1750-3159
  • E-ISSN: 1750-3167

Abstract

The 1946 Broadway premiere of represents a milestone in reception of the Chinese dramatic tradition in the United States. Despite its yellowface and ‘Oriental pageantry’, it must be situated at the beginnings of a more respectful relationship to China and Chinese people, as the American stage began to move beyond treatments of China dominated by racist vaudeville or fantastical fairy tales. Instead, emerged from a classic text, the long drama – even as its own casting and staging inherited some of the same problematic habits of representing Asia. , one of several indirect adaptations of Chinese dramas in the American mid-century, represents a milestone as the first Broadway show inspired by American immigrant Chinatown theatre and the first Broadway musical to be based on Chinese classical drama, mediated through European Sinology.

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2020-07-01
2024-04-28
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): Broadway; Cantonese opera; Chinese drama; Lute Song; Pipa ji; Will Irwin
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