The Chinese Lady & Love Letters
In repertory at Pear Theatre
The Chinese Lady: April 20, 25, 28; May 4, 12
Love Letters: May 3
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, set design by Peter Crompton
APRIL 14 & 19, 7PM | MAY 6-12 ON DEMAND
NAN BY NOA GARDNER
By Noa Gardener
Directed by Giovanna Sardelli
The Magic Theatre in YPT and on demand
Alice finds herself back in a place where she thought she would never return—home with her mother Nan, whom she has not spoken to in fourteen years. Unresolved tensions play out as Alice tries to raise her own teenage daughter while struggling to provide for the whole family. These three generations of Hawaiian women overcome the past and cultural dissonance between them while balancing a life-or-death decision that hangs over their heads.
April 20 - May 12
The Chinese Lady
By LLoyd Suh
IN REPERTORY with Love Letters
Directed by Wynne Chan
The Pear Theatre
Afong Moy is fourteen years old when she’s brought to the United States from Guangzhou Province in 1834. Allegedly the first Chinese woman to set foot on U.S. soil, she has been put on display for the American public as “The Chinese Lady.” For the next half-century, she performs for curious white people, showing them how she eats, what she wears, and the highlight of the event: how she walks with bound feet. Soon her celebrated sideshow comes to define and challenge her very sense of identity.
Inspired by the true story of Afong Moy’s life, The Chinese Lady is a dark, poetic, yet whimsical portrait of America through the eyes of a young Chinese woman.
May 3, 8Pm
In Love Letters, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, both born to wealth and position, are childhood friends whose lifelong correspondence begins with birthday party thank-you notes and summer camp postcards. After exchanging letters through the years into adulthood, both lives marked by personal trials and tribulations, the two ultimately reconnect for a brief affair - only to realize it is too late for both of them. However, a final letter after one’s untimely death soon surfaces, illustrating how close they truly were to each other despite their physical distance - as close as only true lovers can be.
42nd Street Moon
Music, Book, and Story by Steve Martin
Music, Lyrics, and Story by Edie Brickell
Directed by Cindy Goldfield
Inspired by a true story and featuring the Tony®-nominated score by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, Broadway’s BRIGHT STAR tells a sweeping tale of love and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the American South in the 1920s and ’40s. When literary editor Alice Murphy meets a young soldier just home from World War II, he awakens her longing for the child she once lost. Haunted by their unique connection, Alice sets out on a journey to understand her past—and what she finds has the power to transform both of their lives. With beautiful melodies and powerfully moving characters, the story unfolds as a rich tapestry of deep emotion. An uplifting theatrical journey that holds you tightly in its grasp, BRIGHT STAR is as refreshingly genuine as it is daringly hopeful.
June 6 - 23
Bright Star
Aviragus/ Posthumus’ mother/ Musician
Cymbeline
San francisco Shakespeare Festival
photo: Neal Ormond
Pacifica, the fairy
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Presidio Theatre
(L to R) Ryan Patrick Welsh, Ruby Day, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto
photo: Terry Lorant
M’Lynn Eatenton
Steel Magnolias
Sierra Repertory Theatre
(L to R) Olivia Jones, Laurie Strawn, Emily Gatesman, Isabella Chang, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto
courtesy photo
Emily Whitman
FOLLIES
San Francisco Playhouse
(L ro R) Cindy Goldfield, Maureen McVerry, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto, Rene Collins
photo: Jessica Palopoli
Jack’s mother
Into the woods
Mountain Play
(L to R) Kevin Singer, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto, Chachi Delgado, Luke Hichman, Grace Margaret Craig
cook/ Telegram girl
Clue
San Francisco Playhouse
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