Brilliant Tony Award-winning (M. Butterfly) playwright David Henry Hwang (whose mother is a Filipino-Chinese originally from Cebu) has taken the original C.Y. Lee version, modernized the story line and, in so doing, has made it his own. He says he aimed "to write the book that Oscar Hammerstein would have written if he’d been Asian-American". Instead of a shy mail order bride as the musical’s heroine, Hwang has made the heroine, Mei-Li (beautifully played by Tony Award and Oliver Award winning Broadway star Lea Salonga) into a strong, wise survivor of Communist China who must confront the challenges of falling in love in a foreign culture. The first scene is set in Tiananmen Square, with a Mao banner in the background.
Initially envisioned on a grander scale–at a much larger theater and with a much bigger budget–as a pre-Broadway run, Flower Drum Song finally saw the light after five years in development. The songs have been re-worked (some as fabulous production numbers), two songs have been added and the story itself is practically new. It is a rare occasion that the Rogers and Hammerstein Organization has allowed changes to be made on its musicals. But Hwang’s credentials (Tony and multi-Obie awards) and the chance to re-focus on a rarely staged R&H musical got the nod for the project.
No one could be happier than Filipino business tycoon Ernest Escaler who, as an early backer of the musical, is poised to become the first Filipino producer of a certified Broadway hit in the United States. Escaler joined a giddy cast at the opening night party where he spoke about his special night and this equally wonderful show. "This is without question one of the most thrilling and entertaining nights at the theater I have experienced," Escaler raved.
When asked why he was willing to gamble on the revival of this 40-year-old musical, Escaler quickly responded, "When my friend Fritz Friedman (Senior Vice President of Worldwide Publicity for Columbia-Sony Pictures) told me about the Flower Drum Song revival, my interest was piqued. I had always been a supporter of the arts in the Philippines and I had always been a fan of Rogers and Hammerstein. I was intrigued by the possibilities. It just so happened that I was going to pass through Los Angeles and Fritz arranged for me to attend a rehearsal and to speak to the producers of the musical. As soon as I saw it, I knew that this musical had the makings of a hit.
"But more importantly, I was thrilled that the principals and many in the chorus were of Filipino descent. David, Lea, Jose (Llana who plays the male lead, Ta and starred with Lou Diamond Philips in the Broadway version of The King and I) and Jennifer Paz (who takes over Salonga’s role during the extension) are immensely talented with impeccable Broadway credentials. Here, I thought, was a powerful way to instill pride among the Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in the US and the Philippines, and additionally to enhance the image of the Filipino around the world. I couldn’t be happier to be involved with this production which I know has the potential to garner many Tony Awards when it hits Broadway next year."
Besides Salonga, Llana, and Paz, the oustanding cast includes Tzi Ma, Jodi Long (in a star-turning performance as the "take-no prisoners" agent Madame Liang) and a sizzlingly sexy Sandra Allen. The score is full of Rodgers and Hammerstein classics from the original score (A Hundred Million Miracles, I Enjoy Being A Girl, Love Look Away) as well as two songs not in the original musical but included for artistic reasons (Mei Li’s The Next Time It Happens, originally from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Pipe Dream and Llana’s Like A God). With gorgeous costumes by Gregg Barnes, the high-energy choreography and direction of the sure-footed Robert Longbottom and the unqualified raves of both critics and audience, Flower Drum Song is going to make Escaler a happy Broadway producer.