Introduction


David Henry Hwang

In the plays of David Henry Hwang, East and West often meet—and the results are usually not pretty. No other playwright has had as much critical and commercial success in confronting issues of Asian and Asian-American identity. His most heralded work, M. Butterfly, took a real-life political scandal and filtered it through the lens of Puccini’s opera, Madama Butterfly. The result is a play that questions traditional notions of race, gender, and identity. In Hwang’s other works, F.O.B. (an acronym for the derogatory phrase “fresh off the boat”) and Yellow Face, the playwright continues to confront the question of how Americans identify (and mis-identify) Asians. In addition, he examines and deconstructs how Asians identify themselves. His plays are at once confrontational and sharply humorous, and have helped carve a place for Asian-American theater in the United States.

Essential Facts

  1. Hwang rewrote the book for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song, which centers on Asian-American immigrants. Ironically, Hwang’s more multicultural and politically correct version was less commercially successful than the original.
  2. Hwang serves on the Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, appointed by President Clinton.
  3. Hwang has worked closely with prolific composer Philip Glass. The two have collaborated on numerous music- and dance-based pieces.
  4. Hwang is the first Asian American to win a Tony Award for Best Play. He received it for his 1988 work M. Butterfly.
  5. Hwang wrote the books for the Disney musicals Tarzan (based upon the animated film of the same name) and Aida (which featured music by Elton John).