L-R: Kimmy Yam, Helen Park, Hansol Jung, Pun Bandhu, David Henry Hwang and John Yi at "KPOP" final-performance talkback (Photo credit: Courtesy of OMDKC)
On Dec. 11, the original musical “KPOP” played its final Broadway performance. At the time of closing, the musical had played 44 previews and 17 regular performances at the Circle in the Square Theatre. The musical’s swift closure raised questions and an emotional public response about how the show — which featured 21 Korean, Korean-American and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) performers and was made by a largely Korean and Korean-American creative team — could have lasted longer.
In response to the show’s closing notice, “KPOP” cast members rallied outside their theater in Gershwin Alley before the evening performance on Dec. 10. Leaders of the Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI) theatrical community took part in a post-show talkback that immediately followed the Dec. 11 closing performance. The talkback united Helen Park, composer of “KPOP”; playwright Hansol Jung, Pun Bandhu, co-founder of the Asian American Performers Action Coalition (AAPAC); and Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang. Led by journalist Kimmy Yam, the panel sought to answer: Where are we now with regards to AAPI representation on Broadway, and how do we improve?