The Dreamland Battle Miss Saigon, Representation And...

The Dreamland Battle: Miss Saigon, Representation and Opportunity On March 23, 2017, Miss Saigon, one of the most beloved and most protested musical, returned to New York at the Broadway Theatre, the same venue the show debuted and played for 10 years from 1991 to 2001. Both productions moved from West End to Broadway, creating numerous casting opportunities for Asian-American actors in New York, where Asian productions are rarely produced. The last Asian Broadway production, Allegiance, ended its run February 2016, starring Lea Salonga, the first Asian actor to win a Tony Award for her groundbreaking performance as Kim in Miss Saigon in 1991 — twenty-six years ago. Not until 2015 had Ruthie Ann Miles won a Tony for The King and I and†¦show more content†¦When the show was announced to move to Broadway, the yellowface was strongly protested by the Asian-American community. The show’s critic initiated the protest, saying that the production had created â€Å"an unwelcome view of Asians.† However, Pryce was so greatly praised by the West End audience, who seemed not to be bothered at all about his yellowface, that the producer was not willing to give in, claiming Pryce is the star of the show, as one of the British stage’s most admired actors. The yellowface performance was not even considered to be abandoned until the Actors’ Equity refused to approve Pryce’s Visa â€Å"as they cannot condone the casting of a Caucasian actor in the role of [an] Eurasian† that was going to destroy the fabric of the country. This angered the producer who even threatened with a cancelation on the Broadway production. It took a turn when Equity backed down and rescinded its decision and Pryce brought his â€Å"The American Dream† to New York and won a Tony Award for his brilliant performance — the yellowface was later removed. The audience was mesmerized by the glorious music and stagecraft as nobody had seen a helicopter landing on Broadway. The audience also discovered that, Jonathan Pryce was not the only one dictating the spotlight: Lea Salonga, who came form Philippine, was the rising star. Salonga, with her magnificent