CHING CHONG CHINAMAN:
City Pages Top 10 play of 2009
East Bay Express Top 10 play of 2008
“A lively, likable show… The playwright, Lauren Yee, gleefully highlights the assimilated life of the Wongs, who defy the stereotype of the hard-driving Chinese-American family. It’s clever, and her insights are astute.” — Ken Jaworowski, New York Times
“In her new play “Ching Chong Chinaman,” Lauren Yee lifts America’s vaunted melting pot off the patriotic flame and splatters it all over the stove.” — Pat Craig, Contra Costa Times
“A gleefully irreverent, audaciously un-PC comedy about cultural identity.” — Chad Jones, Theatre Dogs
“… the play by 23-year-old San Franciscan and recent Yale grad Yee is whip-smart and very funny, in a snappy production by Desdemona Chiang with a strong cast.” — Sam Hurwitt, East Bay Express
“A wild ride—fast, furious and very funny.” — Ken Bullock, Berkeley Daily Planet
“This play is too smart and funny to miss.” — Kat Chamberlain, nytheatre.com
“The plot gains momentum toward the middle and keeps building to a final, surprisingly unsettling conclusion.” — Summer Banks, CurtainUp
“… Lauren Yee’s charming, amusing, and entirely overcrammed play.” — Dominic P. Papatola, Pioneer Press
“Yee’s script takes on questions of ethnic identity while, with agility, transferring them to the universal gulf between yearning and reality.” — Quinton Skinner, Star Tribune
“Lauren Yee’s Ching Chong Chinaman … is a smart, fast-paced comedy that wrings laughs from the topics of cultural identity and assimilation. Neither predictable nor politically correct, it’s a satirical cartoon that has heart and even occasional poignancy.” — Patrick Lee, TheaterMania
“Yee is a talented young writer, and the characters she’s created here are winning and lovable. … Yee’s voice is absolutely worth a listen; I will look forward to what she comes up with next.” — Martin Denton, nytheatre.com
“The one-liners come fast and furiously in this rollicking sendup as playwright Lauren Yee sets out to mock all major stereotypes. The whole effect is very funny, but below the humor are poignant issues related to identity.” — Nancy Worssam, Seattle Times
“The play departs from mere stereotypes to provide insight on the profound role our ethnicity has in shaping our identity.” — Tiffany Ran, Northwest Asian Weekly
“[A] funny, sharply pointed satire…” — Miryam Gordon, Seattle Gay News
“Suspenseful, hilarious, and provocative… Ching Chong Chinaman is highly recommended for anyone looking for an intellectually stimulating and laughter-filled evening.” — KingYau Li, Seattle Chinese Times
“[A] riotous farce… The sanctity of American, primarily though not exclusively Asian-American, cultural identities is skewered in this first production by the new LA theater group Artists at Play.” — Lyle Zimskind, LAist
“The play packs a laugh-out-loud punch… Lauren Yee’s smart writing has given audiences something very original and a gut busting funny play… Not only is this a must see production, it’s a must see more than once play.” — Scott Eriksson, Asians on Film
“[A] biting contemporary satire.” — Travis Michael Holder, Backstage
“Ching Chong Chinaman is a wildly inventive, raucously funny ride. Though rooted in Asian American literary tradition, this play upends its conventions with inspired irreverence, aided by brilliant staging and a powerhouse ensemble. You have not seen anything like this before. The fourth wave of Asian American playwriting has arrived.” — David Henry Hwang
in a word:
A MAN, HIS WIFE, AND HIS HAT:
“A Man, his Wife, and his Hat employs an endearing cast and surprisingly cohesive script to produce the feel-good absurdist hit of the year. … Playwright Lauren Yee’s script is brimming with earnest laughs, delivering a steady stream of priceless moments from beginning to end.” — Ren Ebel, UCSD Guardian
OVER THE ASIAN AIRWAVES:
“An ambitious and hilarious farce.” — Anne Marie Welsh, San Diego Union-Tribune
“An amusing, invigorating piece of theater, well written and well executed.” — Pat Launer, San Diego Theatre Scene
PROFILES AND ARTICLES:
“The Hookup” — Stuff Boston (December 26, 2011)
“Artists at Play Push Buttons with Ching Chong” — LA Stage Times (November 18, 2011)
“The play Ching Chong Chinaman challenges stereotypes with satire” — Daily Bruin (November 3, 2011)
“Mu Performing Arts publishes anthology of plays” — Minnesota Public Radio (June 16, 2011)
“Berkeley: Impact Theatre Announces 2011-12 Season” — Stark Insider (May 2, 2011)
“Hold On to Your Hats” — UCSD Guardian (April 14, 2011)
“Philadelphia PlayPenn Picks Six Playwrights For Conference” — PlayBill (April 5, 2011)
“2011 Playwrights at Playpenn Conference” — BroadwayWorld.com (April 2, 2011)
“UCSD Playwrights Find Voice in Baldwin New Play Festival in La Jolla, CA” — Playbill (April 14, 2010)
“Ching Chong Chinaman playwright explains controversial title” — Wall Street Journal (April 4, 2010)
“Minority Views” — Backstage (April 1, 2010)
“Photo Flash: Ching Chong Chinaman Opening Night at The West End Theatre” — BroadwayWorld.com (March 25, 2010)
“5 Questions I’ve Never Been Asked: Fay Ann Lee” — The Clyde Fitch Report (March 22, 2010)
“Ching Chong Chinaman” — The International Examiner (March 17, 2010)
“I Interview Playwrights Part 130″ — Adam Szymkowicz’s blog (March 14, 2010)
“Dramatist Guild Fellows” — The Dramatist (November/December 2009)
“For the Love of the Game” — American Theatre Magazine (May 2009)
“The Public Announces Members of 2009 Emerging Writers Group” — BroadwayWorld.com (February 4, 2009)
“Ching Chong for Change”— City on a Hill Press (November 20, 2008)
“Top 13 Up-and-Coming Playwrights” — Theatre Bay Area (March 2008)
“Bringing ‘Ching Chong Chinaman’ to the City” — Yale Daily News (August 31, 2007)
“Taking the Stage: S.F. Young Playwrights Festival” — San Francisco Chronicle (May 26, 2006)
“Keep an Eye on: Lauren Yee” — Theatre Bay Area (April 2006)
MEDIA:
LA Female Playwrights Initiative podcast (November 2011)
ArtZone with Nancy Guppy (April 2, 2010) click to 9:28 for interview
SIS Productions/Ching Chong Chinaman teaser (April 1, 2010)
Pan Asian Rep/Ching Chong Chinaman audience reactions (March 25, 2010)
SIS Productions/Ching Chong Chinaman interview (March 9, 2010)
