“Tiger Style!” a comedy by Mike Lew and directed by Natsu Onoda Power is now playing at Olney Theatre Center until August 18, 2019. Lew is a third-generation Chinese-American from San Diego. This play was written to shed light onto the Asian-American experience, dispelling stereotypes and how American born Asians and their children come to terms with their heritage.
Lew, however, knows that laughter, especially in the form of satire, often carries more weight than drama. “Tiger Style!” makes its point subtly and keeps us thinking about the plot long after we leave the theatre. Lew achieves his goals, and this play is chock full of wonderfully witty lines that keep you laughing until the end.
“Tiger Style!” revolves around a brother, Albert Chen (Sean Sekino), a computer programmer, and his sister, Jennifer (Regina Aquino), a doctor and accomplished musician, who both find relationships difficult and their professional life unsatisfying. They blame this on their parents, especially their Tiger Mother (Eileen Rivera) and Father (Kurt Kwan). In rebellion, they go back to their roots to the Peoples’ Republic of China where the tour becomes a series of comic, and sometimes frightening, mishaps. As they travel on their self-proclaimed Asian Freedom Tour, they learn the dark sides of their history both in America and China.
“Tiger Style!” is a rollicking production that makes a strong point about American life with laughter and wonderful characterizations. You do not have to be Asian to appreciate this thoughtful and funny production.
Part of the key to the success of this play is the top-notch acting. Aquino is the quintessential overwrought, success-driven oncologist and concert pianist. She wants life to be formulaic. Her parents have made her feel anything but success is unacceptable. While she strives for perfection in her professional and musical endeavors, she aims quite low in her personal life. We are introduced to her as her boyfriend (Michael Glenn), a rock musician and car audio installer, is ending the relationship. Aquino effortlessly goes from anger to self-deprecation to grief, not due to lost love but because of lost plans. Her life timetable has been disrupted.
Sekino captures the younger sibling still so emotionally and financially dependent, he lives with his sister for “tax purposes.” When overlooked for promotion at his job once again and the “idiot” of the department, Russ the Bus (Glenn), becomes his boss, Albert is pushed to the edge. Albert like his sister internalizes the anger he feels toward both to his boss and his parents. When Albert confronts his Asian boss, Melvin, (Kwan), the boss’s reaction reveals how Asian-Americans, and really all minorities, overcompensate to fit in. (It is no coincidence that all the male authority figures-Dad, the manipulative but sadistic Chinese official, and Melvin-are played by the same actor, Kwan.) Sekino’s performance shows us Albert’s weaknesses without reservation but also makes us empathetic to the character.
The wonderful chemistry between Albert and Jennifer is best exemplified in their first scene together when Jen’s boyfriend has just left her and Albert has lost another promotion. There is one punchline after another, but the two actors never lose their character’s personality for laughs. One of the most memorable lines is when Albert tell his sister that she not exotic but “the vanilla ice cream of Asians.”
Kwan’s multiple roles show off his acting abilities. As the sadistic and controlling Tzi Chuan/General Lee, he is frightening. As Dad, he shows love but a toughness that has allowed him to leave poverty for prosperity. As Melvin, he lets us look under the façade to see a man who would turn on his own kind, to be accepted and successful. When he tells Albert to “Go Back where you came from!”, it is very revealing and, in the context of today’s world, a little chilling. The boss is symbolic of ethnic minorities who cut off their roots in an effort to assimilate. This has been a universal dilemma for most immigrant minorities and their progeny.
Rivera’s Mom is caring but unsympathetic to the plights of her children. She never admits that pushing them to succeed and not giving them other life skill, for instance, how to have fun or have interpersonal relationships, was wrong. While she nurtures them, feeding them favorite foods, for example, she and Dad tell them to suck it up when Jennifer and Albert tell her how unhappy they are. Rivera also deftly plays several other roles including the kind and brave Cousin Chen and the unwavering Matchmaker. My favorite characterization of Rivera’s is the Therapist who Jennifer starts to visit. Rivera’s shrink tries to maintain her cool as she is verbally assaulted by Jennifer who wants an hour therapeutic miracle during which her therapist will give her all of life’s answers. It is one of the most humorous scenes in the play. It is also no coincidence that Rivera’s characters all play out mothering roles of one kind or another.
Glenn gets to play all the obnoxious characters, Reggie the loutish boyfriend, Russ the Bus who abuses and uses his coworker and the Customs Guy who also is not very bright and not very insightful. In a way, Glenn is the actor who plays the stereotypes. Glenn pulls off this hard assignment successfully and helps in creating this wonderful farce.
Power’s direction is superb. The stage is unusual. It is like a football field with pagoda goal posts on either side and hash lines across. The audience sits along the two sidelines watching the game. Power manages to keep all the actors in clear view and with the use of moveable padded cushioned blocks makes visually interesting images. The pacing of a comedy is so important, and this play moves along quickly, but not so quickly that we miss the very witty lines.
Tony Cisek is the Scenic Designer, and this set is the icing on this production. You know you are in for a very different experience as soon as you walk into the theatre. The tall pagodas are internally lit with colorful LED lights that change hues. Along the edges of the “field” are pagoda-shaped footlights interspersed with miniature plastic palm trees. The hash marks are also lit and change colors as well. The pagoda footlights turn into Chinese lanterns in Act II as the action moves to China. The trees become bamboo for the two performers (stage crew) who come out in Act II dressed like pandas. Everything in the set is purposeful as well as being as visually interesting. Even the clouds behind each large pagoda tell us this is a play of dreams and hopes.
Sarah Tundermann’s lighting is interwoven with Lee’s set. The use of colored lights is probably one of the most imaginative I have seen. The lighting often is used as a plot device, as with the scene at LAX. It has a feel of a reality show and helps add to the laughter.
Roc Lee’s sound design creates not just emotional moods but reflects the biculturalism of the main characters.
Debra Kim Sivigny’s costumes are probably most memorable in Act II. She allows the supporting cast to switch from Chinese soldiers and officials to Mom and Dad, and of course, there are the two adorable pandas.
“Tiger Style!” is a rollicking production that makes a strong point about American life with laughter and wonderful characterizations. You do not have to be Asian to appreciate this thoughtful and funny production.
Running Time: Two hours and 5 minutes with an Intermission.
Advisory: Due to some strong language, this play is not recommended for young children.
“Tiger Style!” is presently playing at Olney Theatre Center until August 18, 2019. For more information on the production go online. To purchase tickets, go online. For information about Olney Theatre Center and other productions, this season go to their website.
