March 29, 2007
By Venus Zarris

At a time when, perhaps more than ever, the West is ferociously exporting itself to the world, Silk Road Theatre Project examines East infected with West in its lavish production of Golden Child.

David Henry Hwang's Obie Award-winning play, presented here in its Midwest premiere, tells the story of Tieng-Bin, an early 20th century wealthy Chinese merchant who returns home from abroad infatuated with Western ideas. Polygamy and ancestor worship have no place in his newfound Christianity as his hopes for modernization collide with ancient traditions.

"There you go again, worshiping your parents," Tieng-Bin scolds one of his wives.

"At least I pray to someone I know personally," she replies.

Hwang's script is filled with wonderful insights - "It is the simplest thing in the world to manipulate a man. Just call him your master, and he is your slave for life" - and dramatic conflicts - "In the home of his birth, a man is always a child."

Director Stuart Carden compiles a gifted team to beautifully create this exotic world. Lee Keenan's scenic and lighting design create a breathtaking delight as he transports us into the minimal opulence of this affluent palace. Carol J. Blanchard's gorgeous costume design only adds to the visual splendor. This is one of the most attractive productions presented this year on a midsized stage.

The tension between the already-bickering wives escalates upon Tieng-Bin's return home as they vie for his attention. Not only is the household hierarchy a source of conflict, but the sheer nature of their counterintuitive communication displays how the Chinese artistically perfected passive aggression. They attack each other with backhanded compliments that illustrate the vulnerabilities of their familial adversary. This makes for pithy exchanges filled with bighting humor and wonderfully wicked exercises in family dysfunction that would send Dr. Phil running for the hills. And all this before the Christian clergyman even shows up to fuel the friction and manipulate the preexisting jealousy and backstabbing. (When have you seen an example of organized Christianity actually improving an establish culture?)

Carden's cast handles this complicated script with uneven effectiveness. The overall impact is strong with many outstanding scenes, but there is a stiffness to the characterizations that could stand to be flushed out with more depth and less technique. The stylized nature of rigid Asian customary protocol does not mean that genuine interaction needs to be compromised. Sadly this is the case with some of portrayals. But the grandeur of the production and success of some of the performances overcome its shortcomings. And Kimberlee Soo and Tiffany Villarin's depictions of two of Tieng-Bin's wives provide exceptional proof that human connection can be made with these characters.

Although set in a specific time and location, the conflict is universal and relevant. How much of our past are we willing to compromise in order to obtain our own individuality and where is the line denoting when that compromise becomes a betrayal of our fundamental identity? Referring to the West, Tieng-Bin explains, "Nothing seems to excite them more than the future." But always living for the future forsakes the wisdom of the past and the experience of the moment. Golden Child is a play that will not only entertain and captivate but it will also leave you examining you own personal journey. (***)