Yankee Dawg You Die

by Philip Kan Gotanda

Yankee Dawg You Die.

Genres: Plays, Drama

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been trying to read more plays lately, and I enjoyed this one a lot. I tried to search for performance clips, but there there seems to be no online presence of the show itself anywhere, not even as promotional material. Too bad - I wish Asian American theatre was more popular. I want to hear what Tea Cakes and Moon Songs would sound like.

The plot revolves around a conflict between older and newer generations, but it's not an East vs West parental expectations Flower Drum Song-esque divide. It's a discussion on Asian American issues and how we approach them - how things have changed and stayed the same over the years, and why we do the things we do. Also, Bradley is confirmed to be Sansei, so I'm already a fan.

I like how the characters talk about things like Dorothy Toy and Larry Ching and the Chop Suey Circuit, all deep cuts. I'm curious if the 1989 Arthur Dong documentary is somehow related or not.

By the end of the play, I was so hooked that I've decided to round my star ranking up to 4 stars.

[Eric Umali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does it count as "read" if I appeared in the play? Let's say it does.

I honestly can't think of any work that has driven right to the heart of so many things I've felt, thought, and experienced as an Asian-American than this, especially as an Asian-American actor. I've been Vincent, and I've been Bradley, and everything in between. The way the play treats both sides as right and wrong and everything in between as well is its power.

[ruby]

many cool details

[Victoria McMillen · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 Word Reviews:

Smart, honest, poignant, and sharp

[Hillary · Rating 4 out of 5]

reasons for looking at mainstream theatres with a critical eye. enjoyable play

[Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely loved this play. It was silly and clever and deeply moving and angry and hopeful and several other adjectives. I am very interested in interrogations of representation--the metatheatrical/metacinematic investigations of how theatre and cinema work to create images of people, groups, and so on. Yankee Dawg You Die explores some of the problems of Asian Americans in finding representability in US media. It is the story of two Japanese American actors (one who changed his name to Chang, a Chinese name, around WWII) who struggle to find dignified parts presenting Asian Americans, or Asians, as dignified and complex human subjects. Vincent Chang, the older man, initially declares that he is happy that he took chop suey parts and other stereotypical Asian roles because at least it got an Asian actor onto the stage or screen, but his conviction is weakened by Bradley Yamashita, who comes out of a very proudly Asian activist theatre background. But as a true dialectic, Chang's pragmatism--the need to work as an actor and make Asian Americans visible--also affects Yamashita's strident ethnic nationalism. Although neither character seems fully to find peace, each is, I think, better for having known one another and there is hope at the end for more equitable representation opportunities for Asian Americans.
https://youtu.be/F2bgdXd5pis

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never been a huge fan of reading plays not written by someone named Shakespeare, and this is no exception. Gotanda makes no attempt to hide the discussion of troubles that Asian-Americans face, but there is little substance outside of that. I would be more intrigued if the plot was extended into a full-length novel, as I can't imagine the play itself being too interesting in person.

[Tim Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

the first serious stage performance I ever acted in, for Ann Arbor's Performance Network. Very nicely written two-man show, and a pioneering piece of Asian American drama

[Eileen]

super relevant in light of crazy rich asians and ongoing debates about asian american representation in media. hits hard.