Tiger Style
There is a book called The Chinese In America that chronicles Chinese American achievement in the face of institutionalized racism. Like many immigrants, Chinese that came to the United States for a better life faced persecution, discrimination, and violence — even humiliation with the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and declared Chinese immigrants ineligible for naturalization. President Chester A. Arthur signed it into law on May 6, 1882.
Writers Theatre opens its 2022/23 Season with what Director Brian Balcom described Tiger Style as a ridiculously goofy buddy adventure comedy.
Mike Lew takes a comedic look into the dual struggles of blending into a society where Chinese Americans deal with stereotypes, expectations, and perceptions. Tiger parenting is a strategy some Chinese use to help their children be more accepted by American society.
Through the persistence of their parents, Albert (Christopher Thomas Pow) and Jennifer ( Aurora Adachi-Winter), Chen succeeded. However, Albert, a stoic computer programmer, and Jennifer, a doctor, who lived her life by the numbers, both felt they were missing out on life because their parents pushed them academically, causing them to be socially inadequate. As a result, when Albert is passed up for promotion and Jennifer is dumped by her loser boyfriend, Albert convinces his sister that their lack of communication skills is their parents' fault and decides to confront them. Still, when that doesn't work, they launch an Asian Freedom Tour!
They went absolute American, which was a complete failure, so they traveled to China, hoping to remove their immigration status, learn their Chinese roots, and finally find a place where they fit in. But as they get off the plane, not knowing the language proves to be a significant problem — and when Albert and Jennifer learn that Chinese government rules would further strip their personality and places them in jail, they seek to return home. In the end, Albert and Jennifer have to decide if they would choose to forgo their hard-earned successful life and identity and return to America as peasants.
Pow and Adachi-Winter are incredible, and the cast includes solid performances by Rammel Chan, Denna Myers, and his Writers Theatre debut, Garrett Lutz.
Tiger Style is an absurd dramatic comedy that pokes at America's bias and communism in China and how it affects emigrants searching to live the American dream; it is something that most immigrants can relate to. But, unfortunately, its humorous satire goes overboard, and Lew's script somewhat obscures the audience, with some laughing and others perplexed about the play's intent. Moreover, Lew seems to be striving arduously to engage with a Western audience that he loses out on the principal message of Tiger Style, acceptance.
Still, Tiger Style has hilarious moments, making it worth traveling to Writers Theatre. Let's Play Theatrical Review Recommends Tiger Style at Writers Theatre.
Writers Theatre
Tiger Style!
Written By Mike Lew
Directed By Brian Balcom
September 29 - October 30, 2022
