Time To Change Their Stripes

Tiger Style – Writers Theatre

Jennifer and Albert are both Harvard-educated Chinese-American siblings who suddenly feel that their lives are falling apart. Jennifer is a high-strung, highly-regarded doctor, who also happens to be gifted, classically-trained pianist. Albert is a nerdy pushover, a highly-paid computer software techie, who was forced to master the cello as a kid.Their problems come to a head when Reggie, Jennifer’s live-in, loser boyfriend, an air-headed surfer dude, suddenly dumps her. Then Albert looks around and realizes that his annoying slacker co-worker, nicknamed Russ the Bus, has been using him, taking credit for all his hard work and has been unjustly given a raise and a promotion of authority over Albert.

 This brother and sister, who share their housing for tax purposes, feel as if they’re stagnating and drifting aimlessly through life. These tiger cubs agree they need to change their stripes and break their cycle of redundant dissatisfaction. But these typical Millennials feel the need to blame someone else for causing their problems. So Albert and Jennifer decide it’s their mom and dad’s fault for their tiger style of parenting.

Playwright Mike Lew boldly satirizes this Asian parenting in what author Amy Chua called The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. It’s a dictatorial, demanding method of childrearing, devoid of any emotional nurturing. Chua detailed this strict, traditional Chinese upbringing in which some parents call their kids lazy, cowardly, self-indulgent and pathetic in order to make them work harder to bring out their skills and talents. Lew creates an hilarious, high energy, fast-paced two-act play in which two third-generation Asian siblings confront and blame their mom and dad for the way they were guided toward adulthood. But their parents just laugh at them and lecture about the hardships suffered by their own parents when coming to America. So Albert and Jennifer decide it’s time to simply blame America for treating them as “others,” and they decide to travel to China.

Albert and Jennifer’s “Freedom Asia Tour” brings them to a China that, at first, seems festive and fun. But they eventually find themselves interacting with a strict female matchmaker, a shady spy, a draconian cousin and an authoritarian General Tso, without his spicy chicken. Suddenly the siblings become part of an uncompromising, tyrannical regime and, eventually become imprisoned because of their American attitudes. Reentering the United States, Albert and Jennifer are desperate to return to their less-taxing American life once again, but they undergo some challenges with the tough Customs Official that force the two Millennials to reconsider their how they want to live the rest of their lives.

Skillfully guided by Brian Balcom, a brilliantly gifted, Asian-American, Chicago-based director, this production is one of Writers Theatre’s finest comedies. It opens their 2022/23 season with an hilarious, high-energy production that offers a laugh a minute, while still presenting a buffet of thought-provoking ideas about a variety of subjects. Balcom must be congratulated for directing Mike Lew’s play in such a way that even the scene changes are spectacular and joyfully entertaining. Speaking of which, Lauren M. Nichols’ very adaptable stage setting is colorful and creative, featuring some exquisite, mind-blowing lighting by Lee Fiskness. And sound designer Forrest Gregor makes every moment fun and festive with his techno/pop-rock soundtrack that makes the audience want to get up and dance. Christine Pascual returns to Writers Theatre to costume her cast with wit and whimsy, delineating each new character with style and levity.

The cast couldn’t be better. Christopher Thomas Pow, who makes his Glencoe debut in this production, is fantastic. He’s a dryly funny, aggressively animated ball of fire. Pow is matched by Aurora Adachi-Winter as Jennifer. This accomplished actress can spit out more words per minute than a gatling gun. She’s over-emotional, filled with energy and lights up every scene. Together this pair of talented, likable actors create a brother and sister who tear up the stage and leave the audience exhausted from laughter.

The remaining three cast members each have the more difficult task of playing multiple characters. Garrett Lutz also makes his Writers debut, and is drop-dead droll as Reggie, Russ the Bus and the Customs Guy at LAX airport. With his long hair pulled into different styles, Lutz is unbelievable in his ability to create all these divergent doofuses. Lovely Deanna Myers returns to Writers as an absolutely hilarious Tiger Mom, a perplexed Therapist, an officious Chinese Matchmaker and as an automaton-like Cousin Chen. Rammel Chan also returns to this stage, this time demonstrating his comic chops by playing Dad, Albert’s boss, Melvin, a philosophical, omnipresent street person named Tzi Chuan and the bombastic General Tso. If not for the great skill demonstrated by these three actors, aided by Ms Pascual’s wonderful costumes and wigs, the audience would think this cast was much larger.

This is one of those plays that might sound didactic and less than interesting on paper, but it will astonish you, surpassing all expectations with its high energy, broad comedy and thoughtful ideas about a whole variety of issues. Mike Lew’s latest offering, playfully and skillfully guided by gifted director Brian Balcom, and brought to life by an incredibly versatile and talented cast of actors, is an absolute must-see comic production. It will reward adult audiences with a spirited story, filled with surprises, new understandings and raucous, comic characters and situations that will leave their stomachs hurting from laughter.      

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented September 29-October 30 by Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, IL.

Tickets are available at the box office, by calling 847-242-6000 or by going to www.writerstheatre.org.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com.