Concert cast of HEADING EAST in rehearsal, 2010.
HEADING EAST
A musical
Music by LEON KO
Book and Lyrics by ROBERT LEE
Music by LEON KO
Book and Lyrics by ROBERT LEE
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News
Open or CloseLa Jolla Playhouse presented a reading of HEADING EAST in New York City on April 10, 2013, co-directed by BD Wong and Robert Lee with musical direction by Kevin Stites and featuring Cindy Cheung, Jackie Chung, Lori Tan Chinn, Deborah S. Craig, Andrew Cristi, Daniel J Edwards, Steven Eng, Brooke Ishibashi, Kennedy Kanagawa, Windson Liong, Hazel Anne Raymundo, Thom Sesma and BD Wong. -
Synopsis
Open or CloseThere are many American histories. HEADING EAST presents one, which begins with the arrival of the Chinese to the California goldfields and ends in 1982 with the birth of the Asian American movement after the murder of Chinese American auto-worker Vincent Chin.
After his discovery of America in 1849, a brazen young Chinaman crosses the Pacific seeking his fortune. Determined to be an “American success”, the impulsive Siu Yee charms, connives and blusters his way through the Gold Rush, the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the San Francisco Earthquake, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the Red Scare, the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam and the microcomputer revolution, in search of a validation that remains ever out-of-reach. (Although the narrative spans nearly a century and a half, its characters age over the course of a single lifetime.) With each decade come new challenges and new competition as Siu Yee rages against successive waves of immigrants out to “steal” his piece of the American pie.
The two-bit tycoon is joined by his tradition-bound wife Lee Fung who disapproves of his obsession with all things American, his hapless friend Ma whose inability to shed his Chinese peasant ways keeps him perpetually one step below on the socio-economic ladder, Ma’s long-suffering wife who drowns her sorrows in composing bad Chinese poetry, and Michiko, a progressive-minded Japanese picture bride determined to make a difference in the world.
Friends, family and traditions are rejected one by one until Siu Yee finds himself adrift and alone. It is only through confronting the spirits of his past that he is able to understand how their story and his form the quintessential American story—the immigrant story—and to embrace his place within the American tapestry.
In the words of one character, “This land is only a vessel, for you to fill. America does not bring us meaning. We bring meaning to IT.” -
Production history
Open or CloseThe first version of HEADING EAST was first performed at East West Players with the following cast:
Reggie De Leon (MA, YOUNG VOICE); Chanel Akiko Hirai (CHINESE MUSICIAN, MINER, MA’S WIFE); Alvin Ing (YEH-YEH); Yumi Iwama (MRS. NG, JASMINE, RALLYGOER 1, MRS. LAI); Radmar Agana Jao (TIMOTHY, SIU YEE); Kurt Kuniyoshi (STOREKEEPER, NATIVE SON 1, IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, PAK); Emily Kuroda (DIANA, MOTHER); Sabrina Lu (LEE FUNG); Jenny Murano (MICHIKO); Ted Szeto (FORTUNE TELLER, SALESMAN, KO, BANK MANAGER, NATIVE SON 2, IMMIGRANT, KIM, CHARLIE, CARLOS, DR. LAI, RALLYGOER 2); Ke’o Woolford (CHANG), VOICE
Opening night: May 29, 1998
Directed by Glen Chin; Musical Direction by Greg Chun; Produced by Roberta Chin; Set Design Akeime Mitterlehner; Costume Designer Dori Quan; Lighting Designer G. Shizuko Herrera; Sound Designer Miles Ono; Property Master Ken Takemoto; Stage Manager Ricardo Figueroa❃ ❃ ❃
A revised version of HEADING EAST was first presented in concert at Asia Society in New York with the following cast:
Cindy Cheung (VEGETABLE SELLER, MOTHER HOW, JASMINE, CUSTOMER 2, MRS. LAI); Lydia Gaston (MOTHER); MaryAnn Hu (MA’S WIFE, IRISH GIRL); Fay Ann Lee (LEE FUNG); Ming Lee (STORYTELLER, FORTUNE TELLER, BANK MANAGER, BAILIFF); Angela Lin (PASSING PEASANT, MINER, IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, CHINESE NEWSBOY, IRISH GIRL, DIANA); Kelvin Moon Loh (STOREKEEPER, KO, CARLOS, JUSTICE, CUSTOMER 1); Manu Narayan (SALESMAN, NATIVE SON, KIM, CUSTOMER 3, DR. LAI); Hazel Anne Raymundo (MICHIKO); Jon Norman Schneider (HOW MING HAW, LEONARD); Rodney To (MA)
Opening night: May 24, 2010
Directed by Darren Lee; Music Direction by James Sampliner; Production Design by Lex Liang; Lighting Design by Philip Rosenberg; Sound Design by Leon Rothenberg; General Management by Seth Goldstein; Stage Management by Jenny Slattery
-
News
Open or CloseLa Jolla Playhouse presented a reading of HEADING EAST in New York City on April 10, 2013, co-directed by BD Wong and Robert Lee with musical direction by Kevin Stites and featuring Cindy Cheung, Jackie Chung, Lori Tan Chinn, Deborah S. Craig, Andrew Cristi, Daniel J Edwards, Steven Eng, Brooke Ishibashi, Kennedy Kanagawa, Windson Liong, Hazel Anne Raymundo, Thom Sesma and BD Wong. -
Synopsis
Open or CloseThere are many American histories. HEADING EAST presents one, which begins with the arrival of the Chinese to the California goldfields and ends in 1982 with the birth of the Asian American movement after the murder of Chinese American auto-worker Vincent Chin.
After his discovery of America in 1849, a brazen young Chinaman crosses the Pacific seeking his fortune. Determined to be an “American success”, the impulsive Siu Yee charms, connives and blusters his way through the Gold Rush, the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the San Francisco Earthquake, the Great Depression, two World Wars, the Red Scare, the Civil Rights movement, Vietnam and the microcomputer revolution, in search of a validation that remains ever out-of-reach. (Although the narrative spans nearly a century and a half, its characters age over the course of a single lifetime.) With each decade come new challenges and new competition as Siu Yee rages against successive waves of immigrants out to “steal” his piece of the American pie.
The two-bit tycoon is joined by his tradition-bound wife Lee Fung who disapproves of his obsession with all things American, his hapless friend Ma whose inability to shed his Chinese peasant ways keeps him perpetually one step below on the socio-economic ladder, Ma’s long-suffering wife who drowns her sorrows in composing bad Chinese poetry, and Michiko, a progressive-minded Japanese picture bride determined to make a difference in the world.
Friends, family and traditions are rejected one by one until Siu Yee finds himself adrift and alone. It is only through confronting the spirits of his past that he is able to understand how their story and his form the quintessential American story—the immigrant story—and to embrace his place within the American tapestry.
In the words of one character, “This land is only a vessel, for you to fill. America does not bring us meaning. We bring meaning to IT.” -
Production history
Open or CloseThe first version of HEADING EAST was first performed at East West Players with the following cast:
Reggie De Leon (MA, YOUNG VOICE); Chanel Akiko Hirai (CHINESE MUSICIAN, MINER, MA’S WIFE); Alvin Ing (YEH-YEH); Yumi Iwama (MRS. NG, JASMINE, RALLYGOER 1, MRS. LAI); Radmar Agana Jao (TIMOTHY, SIU YEE); Kurt Kuniyoshi (STOREKEEPER, NATIVE SON 1, IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, PAK); Emily Kuroda (DIANA, MOTHER); Sabrina Lu (LEE FUNG); Jenny Murano (MICHIKO); Ted Szeto (FORTUNE TELLER, SALESMAN, KO, BANK MANAGER, NATIVE SON 2, IMMIGRANT, KIM, CHARLIE, CARLOS, DR. LAI, RALLYGOER 2); Ke’o Woolford (CHANG), VOICE
Opening night: May 29, 1998
Directed by Glen Chin; Musical Direction by Greg Chun; Produced by Roberta Chin; Set Design Akeime Mitterlehner; Costume Designer Dori Quan; Lighting Designer G. Shizuko Herrera; Sound Designer Miles Ono; Property Master Ken Takemoto; Stage Manager Ricardo Figueroa❃ ❃ ❃
A revised version of HEADING EAST was first presented in concert at Asia Society in New York with the following cast:
Cindy Cheung (VEGETABLE SELLER, MOTHER HOW, JASMINE, CUSTOMER 2, MRS. LAI); Lydia Gaston (MOTHER); MaryAnn Hu (MA’S WIFE, IRISH GIRL); Fay Ann Lee (LEE FUNG); Ming Lee (STORYTELLER, FORTUNE TELLER, BANK MANAGER, BAILIFF); Angela Lin (PASSING PEASANT, MINER, IMMIGRATION OFFICIAL, CHINESE NEWSBOY, IRISH GIRL, DIANA); Kelvin Moon Loh (STOREKEEPER, KO, CARLOS, JUSTICE, CUSTOMER 1); Manu Narayan (SALESMAN, NATIVE SON, KIM, CUSTOMER 3, DR. LAI); Hazel Anne Raymundo (MICHIKO); Jon Norman Schneider (HOW MING HAW, LEONARD); Rodney To (MA)
Opening night: May 24, 2010
Directed by Darren Lee; Music Direction by James Sampliner; Production Design by Lex Liang; Lighting Design by Philip Rosenberg; Sound Design by Leon Rothenberg; General Management by Seth Goldstein; Stage Management by Jenny Slattery
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Other media
Open or CloseBD Wong on HEADING EAST (2010)
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Other media
Open or CloseBD Wong on HEADING EAST (2010)