Bard at the Gate Casts Lloyd Suh's Charles Francis Chan Jr.
(© Rosey Strub)
Casting has been announced for Bard at the Gate's upcoming production of Charles Francis Chan Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery, Lloyd Suh's comedy about Asian-Americans in popular culture.
Co-curated by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel and Nicole A. Watson, Bard at the Gate is a leader in digital theater productions of contemporary plays. The series presents new, often overlooked works, and provides easy access to audiences who may be unable to travel, especially during this complicated time in the live performing arts. Charles Francis Chan Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery will open January 26 and offer free access for 24 hours starting January 26 at 7:30pm.
The production is directed by Suh's frequent collaborator, Ralph Peña, artistic director of Ma-Yi Theater. The cast features Eric Sharp, Jeena Yi, Jeff Biehl, Karoline, Peter Kim, and Mia Katigbak.
Set in Berkeley in 1967 against the backdrop of the War in Vietnam and the Civil Rights Movement, Charles Francis Chan Jr.'s Exotic Oriental Murder Mystery skewers the depiction of Asian-Americans in pop culture. Frank Chan, a college dropout, and his activist girlfriend, Kathy Ching, find themselves in a cultural time warp – from the ancestral railways to the legacy of Charlie Chan stereotypes — and a murder mystery.
The play was originally commissioned by the National Asian American Theatre Company, and debuted off-Broadway in 2015.
