ASIAN PERFORMANCE ON THE STAGE OF AMERICAN EMPIRE IN <em>FLOWER DRUM SONG</em>

Abstract

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s original Broadway production of Flower Drum Song opened in 1958, marking a milestone in the sociopolitical realm of American popular culture in the post– World War II era. The musical was the Wrst in Broadway history to feature a predominantly Asian American cast, including Miyoshi Umeki, Keye Luke, and Pat Suzuki. Loosely based on C. Y. Lee’s 1957 hit novel of the same title, which was “more dark-humored” (R. Lee, 173), this landmark musical was a huge success both aesthetically and commercially.1 It was nominated for six Tony Awards, winning for Best Conductor and Musical Director, and was performed on national tours and in London. Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s 1961 cinematic version of the musical was also a commercial hit. It was nominated for Wve Academy Awards, including a Best Music Award; and the musical number “I Enjoy Being a Girl” remains a popular standard to this day. Yet critics accused the musical’s portrayal of Asian Americans as being “condescending” and even “less than fully human” (Tacorda, 119). As a result, David Henry Hwang wrote an adaptation of the original play in 2002, reworking it to repudiate its stereotypical representation of Asian Americans.2 Ironically, however, despite a favorable reception upon its opening in Los Angeles, Hwang’s version was ultimately criticized for spoiling the original, for losing its “charm, warmth, and wit” (Murray). In 2008, the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress added the Wlm to its list, ofWcially denoting it as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically signiWcant.” Flower Drum Song’s remarkable popularity is indicative of more than its artistic and commercial achievement in American popular culture. Its true signiWcance arguably lies in its status as a historical cinematic document that reXects radical changes in the U.S. immigration