Daniel Dae Kim (Joan Marcus)
Returning to Broadway feels full circle for Kim, who is best known for TV shows like “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-0” but got his start on more experimental corners of the New York stage after earning a degree from NYU. This time, instead of waiting in line for discounted seats, he’s center stage in “Yellow Face,” a play about a case of mistaken racial identity, as well as a backstage comedy.
“Not to get sentimental, but the first day I was in the Todd Haimes Theatre, I looked out on the stage, and I remember that 21-year-old young man who would who would get TKTS tickets and sit in the balcony just to be able to see these wonderful plays and these amazing performers,” Kim said.
“Yellow Face” chronicles (and satirizes) Hwang’s experience leading the 1991 protest against the casting of white actor Jonathan Pryce in the Asian role of “Miss Saigon.” Since then, Hwang notes, casting decisions have changed for the better. For instance, every subsequent production of “Miss Saigon” has featured an Asian actor in the role that Pryce originated.