October 2001 (20 years ago)
The Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles premiered David Henry Hwang’s adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song. Hwang’s aim was to redeem the script by eliminating the sexist and racist stereotypes and to “write the book that Oscar Hammerstein would have written if he were Asian American.” Hwang received approval from Chin Yang Lee, the author of the novel (published in 1957) that was source material for the original musical, and he received permission from Rodgers’s and Hammerstein’s estates to completely rewrite the book of the musical, though he was not allowed to alter any lyrics. The reviews of the premiere in L.A. were overwhelmingly positive and the production received an extended run. The move to Broadway was less well-received than the L.A. premiere. The show closed after 169 performances, but Hwang’s work was recognized with a Tony nomination.