Veteran Shakespeare Theatre Company (Washington, DC) actor Andrew Long plays diplomat Rene Gallimard with Randy Reyes taking on the transformative role of Song Liling. Theater Latté Da artistic director Peter Rothstein directs.
The cast also features Tina Chilip (Comrade Chin/Suzuki/Shu-Fang), Nathaniel Fuller (M. Toulon/Judge), Katie Guentzel (Renee/Girl in Magazine), Charity Jones (Helga/Woman at Party), Lee Mark Nelson (Marc/Consul Sharpless), Sherwin F. Resurreccion (Kurogo), Erik Sharp (Kurogo) and Momoko Tanno (Kurogo).
"From his prison cell, French diplomat Rene Gallimard tells the story of how he came to be loved by Song Liling, a performer in the Peking opera whom he describes as 'the perfect woman,'" according to Guthrie notes. "When she dazzles him with her performance of 'Madame Butterfly,' Gallimard uses his cruelty and power as a Western man to ensnare Song, unaware she is actually a man masquerading as a woman, as was tradition for Beijing opera performers. Unbeknownst to Gallimard, Song is also a spy for the Chinese government and uses their relationship to extract vital information.
 |
 |
|
| David Henry Hwang |
||
| photo by Craig Schwartz |
