Playwright: David Henry Hwang
At: Bohemian Theatre Ensemble
at Heartland Studio, 7016 N. Glenwood
Phone: 773-791-2393; $20
Through April 20
BY SCOTT C. MORGAN
M. Butterfly remains a landmark in the annals of American theater. Not only is it a based-upon-a-true-story drama that made David Henry Hwang the first Asian American to win the Tony Award for Best Play, M. Butterfly is also a scathing third-wave feminist critique of Western imperialist biases toward those submissive folks found in 'the Orient.'
But aside from Hwang's sarcastic flipping of the bird to Asian stereotypes, M. Butterfly is a ripping good story with an overpowering queer element woven throughout.
Back in 1988 when M. Butterfly premiered on Broadway, it launched the career of B.D. Wong ( Oz , Law and Order: SVU ) . Ever wondered why Wong went by his first two initials? That way the audience would constantly guess whether the character of Song Liling, the masterful Peking Opera star/spy, was a man or a woman ( that 'M.' in the title dares you to question if it stands for Monsieur or not ) .
For Bohemian Theatre Ensemble's wonderfully imagined M. Butterfly, that mystery is answered in the program when you see that Song is played by David Rhee. But if you continue reading Rhee's bio, it's impressive to see that he also starred on Broadway ( albeit as a stereotypical white slavery dealer in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie ) .
You can do even more third-wave pondering as to the employment opportunities for Asian-American actors if they're willing to perform in a claustrophobic storefront space because the role is good ( or far too rare in American theater ) . But that's being a little too political.
What's impressive is how effective and creatively director P. Marston Sullivan and designers John Zuiker ( sets ) , Michelle Julazadeh ( costumes ) and Christine Ferriter ( lighting ) each aggrandize this tiny storefront space. Aided by a hard-working cast, Sullivan thrillingly tells the tale of a French diplomat named Rene Gallimard ( Jeremy Young in a confused spot-on performance ) , who spends decades in a relationship thinking that Song is actually a woman.
Oh, and there's plenty of nudity of both sexes, if all of this cultural-politico talk was scaring you away from going. Yes, it's all very lovely to look at, though it brings on more third-wave feminist questions.
Does having a really attractive and muscular Asian-American man drop trousers empower the actor who must play a submissive woman, or is it just a blatant attempt to get that group of gay men who are derogatorily known as 'rice queens?' Or, is Hwang such a genius that he knows the lure of Asian male nudity will give him the exact audience he wants to lecture about lingering imperialist attitudes toward people from the East? I'll leave that one for you to decide.