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mbreview
Jennifer Weeks
Professor de Jésus
Spring 2001
David Hwang's M. Butterfly opened at Gammage Thursday
evening. The play, which is based on a true story, centers around
a French diplomat, Rene Galenorn, and the (male) Chinese spy (his "Butterfly")
whom he takes as his mistress. Were this not a true story, it would
certainly require a great deal of suspension of disbelief. As it
is, it is still difficult to reconcile one's self to the idea that a man
might bed a "woman" for twenty years and be mistaken as to his lover's
gender.
The play was skillfully acted; John Something's
portrayal of Song, the Chinese spy, was particularly adept in gender flipping.
One feels, however, that Westernization has made a faithful rendition almost
impossible. The kind of docile Asian woman Song is intended to become
no longer exists, and any attempt to portray her would verge on caricature.
But Something goes too far in the other direction and "Butterfly" comes
on like a cheap hooker.
M. Butterfly is an important part of Asian Pacific
American art, mainly because it addresses issues such as Asian masculinity
and the objectification of Asian women. The play dances around stereotypes
of the devious Chinese, though never quite lighting on the issue.
In M. Butterfly, the plot seems to conspire with the viewer's deep-set,
quietly held prejudices, bringing us ideas we easily accept, until the
end, when the fragile erection of stereotypes falls to the ground like
a house of cards.
Anybody who enjoys Asian Pacific Art, or just needs
to have their ideas tossed about in their heads for a bit, should go to
see M. Butterfly. Tickets are $12; the show will be running
through March 12th.
For more information on David Hwang's ideas about Asian-Pacific American
art, click
here