"Forbidden City (nightclub) The Forbidden City was a Chinese nightclub and cabaret in business from the late 1930s to the late 1950s, on the second floor of 363 Sutter Street (the former space is now renumbered 369 Sutter Street and is now a franchise of Barbizon Modeling and Acting) in San Francisco between Chinatown and Union Square. The Forbidden City featured Asian American singers, dancers, chorus lines, magicians, strippers, and musicians. It was popular with military personnel who were transiting through San Francisco during World War II. The novel, and in turn the musical and film ""Flower Drum Song"" were"
"yet another television version in 1997 on ABC, produced by Walt Disney Television, starring Brandy, Whitney Houston, Bernadette Peters, and Whoopi Goldberg. Stage versions were also presented in London and elsewhere, and the musical finally was given a Broadway production, with a revised book by Douglas Carter Beane, and incorporating four songs from the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalogue, in 2013. Based on a 1957 novel by C. Y. Lee, ""Flower Drum Song"" takes place in San Francisco's Chinatown in the late 1950s. The original 1958 production was directed by dancer/singer/actor Gene Kelly. The story deals with a young Chinese woman"
"Flower Drum Song Flower Drum Song was the eighth musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on the 1957 novel, ""The Flower Drum Song"", by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee. It premiered on Broadway in 1958 and was then performed in the West End and on tour. It was adapted for a 1961 musical film. After their extraordinary early successes, beginning with ""Oklahoma!"" in 1943, Rodgers and Hammerstein had written two musicals in the 1950s that did not do well and sought a new hit to revive their fortunes. Lee's novel focuses on"
"Flower Drum The Flower Drum is a notable multi-award-winning Chinese cuisine restaurant in Melbourne, Australia. The Flower Drum is widely regarded as a Melbourne institution. It is frequently booked months in advance. It is located just off Bourke Street in Market Lane in the Chinatown precinct of the Melbourne CBD. The Flower Drum was established by Gilbert Lau and opened on the 26 May 1975. The restaurant originally opened in a converted car park at 103 Little Bourke Street and took its name from the 1961 film, ""Flower Drum Song"", a Rogers and Hammersein musical about expatriate Chinese and their"
"based on the 1957 novel, ""The Flower Drum Song,"" by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee, which in turn was based on the San Francisco nightclub Forbidden City that was popular for military men in transit during World War II. Rodgers and Hammerstein adapted it into a musical produced on Broadway in 1958 and on film in 1961, and both starred a number of Asian American actors. Largely remembered for the hit song ""I Enjoy Being A Girl"", it would not be produced with an all-Asian American cast until a 2002 Broadway revival. In 1965, frustrated with the limited opportunities given"
"Subsequent productions have favored the Hwang script, although the older version remains available for license and has received occasional revivals, including a 2006 staged concert as part of Ian Marshall Fisher's ""Lost Musicals"" series. A review in London's ""The Times"" compared this production with ""the much grander production of ""Show Boat"" currently docked at the Albert Hall"" and judged that """"Flower Drum Song"" makes the more stimulating experience."" Prologue: In 1960, Wu Mei-li, a performer in Chinese opera, flees China with a flower drum after her father dies in prison for defying the Communists (""A Hundred Million Miracles""). Act I:"
"have been impossible for that to have actually taken place, since the movie was set in World War II and Pat's version of the song wasn't released until 1958. The same recording is also featured in the 1989 film ""Eat a Bowl of Tea"". Pat Suzuki Pat Suzuki (; born Chiyoko Suzuki; September 22, 1930, Cressey, California) is an American popular singer and actress, who is best known for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical ""Flower Drum Song"", and her performance of the song ""I Enjoy Being a Girl"" in the show. Suzuki is a Nisei"
"was adapted from the novel ""The Flower Drum Song"" by C. Y. Lee, and tells the culture clash encountered by a Chinese family living in San Francisco. The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization allowed Hwang to significantly rework the plot, while retaining character names and songs. His 2002 version —both an homage to the original and a modern re-thinking— won him his third Tony nomination. Though ""Flower Drum Song"" is often called the first musical with an all-Asian cast, the original production had cast many non-Asians in leading roles, including Caucasians and an African-American (Juanita Hall). But the 2002 revival was"
"Pat Suzuki Pat Suzuki (; born Chiyoko Suzuki; September 22, 1930, Cressey, California) is an American popular singer and actress, who is best known for her role in the original Broadway production of the musical ""Flower Drum Song"", and her performance of the song ""I Enjoy Being a Girl"" in the show. Suzuki is a Nisei or second-generation Japanese American, and was born Chiyoko Suzuki, to Chiyosaku and Aki Suzuki, as the fourth of their four daughters. Aki was a musician who played traditional Japanese instruments. When she was growing up, she was nicknamed ""Chibi"", which is Japanese for 'short"
"Writer Joanna Lee praised the film's portrayal of Asian Americans as ""prominent and legitimate American citizens"". Flower Drum Song (film) Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical ""Flower Drum Song"", written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y. Lee. In 2008, ""Flower Drum Song"" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being ""culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"". ""Flower"
"was restless. Hammerstein rewrote some of the book to expand the focus from Ta himself to the romantic relationships of the two couples. After the Boston tryouts, ""Flower Drum Song"" opened on Broadway at the St. James Theatre on December 1, 1958. Sets were designed by Oliver Smith, costumes by Irene Sharaff and lighting by Peggy Clark. C.Y. Lee sat in the audience on the first night; he later stated that he had been nervous and was ""bowled over"" by the positive audience reaction. The show attracted considerable advance sales; even when these were exhausted, sales remained strong and sellouts"
"a song entitled ""She Is Beautiful"" into ""You Are Beautiful"". The team decided to include a song for Sammy Fong to explain to Mei Li that they should not wed. In the span of a few hours, they wrote the lyrics and music to ""Don't Marry Me"". Once the songs were finalized, Robert Russell Bennett, who had orchestrated several of the creators' most successful previous shows, did the same for the score of ""Flower Drum Song"". The musical opened for tryouts on October 27, 1958 at Boston's Shubert Theatre. The audience gave it an enthusiastic response, causing Rodgers to leave"
"Flower-drum opera The flower-drum opera or Huaguxi () is a form of Chinese opera originating in Hunan province. Some other provinces, such as Hubei, Anhui, Henan, Shanxi, also have Huaguxi. It is known in China for its earthy quality, and is often referred to as the ""spicy"" form of Chinese opera. Most Huaguxi plays were originally ', short plays lasting an hour or less. These plays often dealt with everyday rural life. With the rise of professional Huaguxi performers and performances in the capital city of Changsha, longer plays, ' began to be performed. These plays dealt with grander themes"
"was after the reinvented musical had a run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in 2001 with Salonga playing the role and in 2002 winning Lead Actress in a Musical from the Los Angeles theatre Ovation Awards. The Salonga-led Broadway revival cast album was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. Salonga's performance was received positively by theatre critics in New York, and she received a nomination for ""Distinguished Performance"" from the Drama League, among other honors. Between the 2001 Los Angeles and 2002 Broadway productions of ""Flower Drum Song"", she performed in a"
"Flower Drum Song (film) Flower Drum Song is a 1961 film adaptation of the 1958 Broadway musical ""Flower Drum Song"", written by the composer Richard Rodgers and the lyricist/librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The film and stage play were based on the 1957 novel of the same name by the Chinese American author C. Y. Lee. In 2008, ""Flower Drum Song"" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being ""culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"". ""Flower Drum Song"" became the first major Hollywood feature film to have a majority Asian cast in"
"Guo Flower-drum opera The flower-drum opera or Huaguxi () is a form of Chinese opera originating in Hunan province. Some other provinces, such as Hubei, Anhui, Henan, Shanxi, also have Huaguxi. It is known in China for its earthy quality, and is often referred to as the ""spicy"" form of Chinese opera. Most Huaguxi plays were originally ', short plays lasting an hour or less. These plays often dealt with everyday rural life. With the rise of professional Huaguxi performers and performances in the capital city of Changsha, longer plays, ' began to be performed. These plays dealt with grander"
"the show in 1987, starting in Dallas, Texas and ending in Tampa, Florida. The Broadway production received eight Tony Award nominations, with Peters winning the award for Best Actress in a Musical. ""Song"" focuses on an English girl who has recently arrived in New York. Following an argument with her boyfriend, they decide to break up. She writes to her mother in England about what happened, and that she has met a new man, Hollywood producer Sheldon Bloom, with whom she travels to California. She eventually realizes that Sheldon has only been using her as a trophy, and she ends"
"Rose Center Theater The Rose Center Theater is a performing arts theater within the Westminster Rose Center located in Westminster, California. It is part of the larger Rose Center complex that includes multiple ballrooms and banquet facilities. It is the home of the Vietnamese American Philharmonic Orchestra, TNT Productions, and the Westminster Chorale. It has also served as the host to many touring Broadway productions, dance companies, opera troupes, and was the temporary home of the Academy for the Performing Arts during the renovations of Huntington Beach High School. Groundbreaking for the center occurred in April, 2001 with the official"
"Alvin Ing Alvin Ing (born May 26, 1932) is an American singer and actor. His career has included movies, television, musical theatre, and cabaret acts. Ing was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. He studied music at the University of Hawaii, and at Columbia University in New York. Ing is well associated with the musical ""Flower Drum Song"" by Rodgers and Hammerstein. He has played the role of Wang Ta in numerous tours and stock productions, performing in the piece more than any other actor. Ing appeared in the musical ""Chu Chem"" in 1966, but the production closed before it reached Broadway."
"Westminster Rose Center The Westminster Rose Center is a performing arts and entertainment complex located in Westminster, California. It is the home of the Vietnamese American Philharmonic Orchestra and TNT Productions. It has also served as the host to many touring Broadway productions, dance companies, opera troupes, and was the temporary home of the Academy for the Performing Arts during the renovations of Huntington Beach High School. Groundbreaking for the center occurred in April, 2001 with the official grand opening on July 21, 2006 thus taking 5 years to accomplish the building process. Originally named 'Westminster Community Cultural Center' on"
"revival restored ""My Best Love"", a song that was cut from the original production, which is sung by Chin. ""The Other Generation"" was cut from the revival. The principal casts of major productions of the musical (and of the film) have been as follows: <nowiki>*</nowiki>Linda Low's singing voice was dubbed by B. J. Baker, and Chao's ""Love, Look Away"" was dubbed by Marilyn Horne. Dashes indicate roles cut from 2002 production. The 2002 production also featured Alvin Ing as Chin, Allen Liu as Harvard and Hoon Lee as Chao. Flower Drum Song Flower Drum Song was the eighth musical by"
"Fengyang Flower Drum Fengyang Flower Drum () is a traditional Chinese folk song, a form of Quyi, from Fengyang County, Anhui Province that was first developed during the late Ming Dynasty. Originally, it was performed by two seated female singers (usually sisters-in-law). It was typically performed in public for gratuities, as Fengyang County was prone to flooding from the Yellow River. The Fengyang Flower Drum song was associated with beggars from Fengyang County which experienced a disastrous series of flood and drought during the late Ming Dynasty, forcing residents to sing for money. It is classed as one of the"
"outside. The tour continued to be successful, spending 21 weeks in Chicago alone. It closed on October 14, 1961 in Cleveland, a month before the film of the musical opened. Lewis calls the 1961 film version of ""Flower Drum Song"", starring Umeki, Soo, Hall and ""Suzie Wong"" star Nancy Kwan, ""a bizarre pastiche of limping mediocrity"". He comments that since the 1958 version of the musical was rarely revived, the film ""would in future years come to stand for the stage musical it so crassly misrepresented"" and would serve as the version that academics and latter-day theatre critics would judge"
"in 2013-2015, but an expected Broadway run was postponed. Set in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the show revolves around 18-year-old Alex, a welder by day and ‘flashdancer’ by night, and her dreams of attending the prestigious Shipley Dance Academy. Based on the Paramount Pictures film (screenplay by Tom Hedley and Joe Eszterhas, story by Tom Hedley), the UK production described itself as ""an unmistakably unique musical about holding onto your dreams and love against all the odds"". The show includes hits ""Maniac"", ""Manhunt"", ""Gloria"", and the award-winning title track ""Flashdance – What a Feeling"". Pittsburgh, 1983. On the floor of Hurley Steel,"
"small town Indiana, involves a high school student who is banned from her prom because she wants to bring her girlfriend. A group of Broadway actors hears about the situation and travels to the town to help the student. The musical premiered at the Alliance Theatre, Atlanta, Georgia, on August 18, 2016 in previews. The show received positive reviews. Frank Rizzo, in his ""Variety"" review, wrote that it is ""a loopy, loving and joyous musical."" ""The Prom"" is expected to open on Broadway at the Longacre Theatre on November 15, 2018, with previews starting on October 23, 2018. As composer:"
"2001 to May 12, 2001, and finally to Chicago, Illinois, at the Cadillac Palace Theatre from May 13, 2001 to August 12, 2001. The musical opened on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on October 18, 2001, after beginning previews on October 5. The director is Phyllida Lloyd with choreography by Anthony Van Laast. As of October 2017, it is the ninth longest-running Broadway show and the longest-running jukebox musical in Broadway history. On April 18, 2013, it was announced that ""Mamma Mia!"" would transfer from its home at the Winter Garden Theatre to the Broadhurst Theatre later that year"
"electrical engineer in the country. After Kim and Wong got married, Wong founded the Singapor Hut restaurant in Richmond, California in 1919. The restaurant soon became popular for its musical cabarets. Wong performed everything from traditional Chinese operas to popular music at The Singapor Hut. During this time, Wong also toured in vaudeville as a singer and musician. Wong raised a family of entertainers as well, her daughter Arabella Hong-Young having attended Julliard then continuing on to originate the role of Helen Chiao in Broadway’s ""Flower Drum Song."" Much like ""The Curse of Quon Gwon,"" ""Flower Drum Song"" is celebrated"
"ancient modes. 90 singers, largely from the churches of the racially mixed industrial town of Coatesville, Pa. performed in a suburban Philadelphia theater drawing the largest, most racially and geographically diverse audience in that theater's history. The musical was produced at the Apollo Theater, New York City, in October 2004, featuring Charles S. Dutton as the Preacher, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Legendary Soul Stirrers. The production at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, Los Angeles, by the Ebony Repertory Theatre was nominated for the 2015 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for theatrical excellence. In May, 2018,"
"The opera takes place on the doorstep of a tenement on the East Side of Manhattan on two brutally hot days in 1946. The story focuses on two plotlines: the romance between Rose Maurrant and her neighbor Sam Kaplan; and on the extramarital affair of Rose's mother, Anna, which is eventually discovered by Rose's irritable father, Frank. The show portrays the ordinary romances, squabbles and gossips of the neighbors, as the mounting tensions involving the Maurrant family eventually build into a tragedy of epic proportions. As the curtain rises, we are introduced to some of the residents of the apartment"
"Eight Li brothers The eight Li brothers, also referred to as the Eight Stallions of the Li Family (), are eight brothers from the Li family of Xiangtan, Hunan, China, who all thrived in the 20th century and achieved national or international fame. The best known among them are Li Jinxi, the ""father of the Chinese phonetic alphabet"" and teacher of Mao Zedong; Li Jinhui, the ""father of Chinese popular music""; and Chin Yang Lee (Li Jinyang), whose bestselling novel ""The Flower Drum Song"" was adapted into a Broadway musical and an Oscar-nominated Hollywood film. The Li 黎 clan of"
"Ed Kenney Edward Kamanaloha Kenney, Jr. (August 8, 1933 – October 5, 2018) was an American singer and actor from Hawaii best known for the role of ""Wang Ta"" in the original Broadway production of ""Flower Drum Song."" In retirement, he lived on the island of Kaua‘i and occasionally made public appearances. Born in Honolulu on Oahu to a Hawaiian-Chinese mother and a Swedish-Irish father. He married Judy Bailey and lived on Kauai. Kenney was married to hula dancer Beverly Noa and was the father of Honolulu restaurateur, Edward Kenney, III. Kenney and Noa headlined shows at the Royal Hawaiian"
"in the mid-1950s, and takes place on Cannery Row in Monterey, California. In the Steinbeck book which forms the basis for the musical, the Bear Flag is a bordello and Suzy a prostitute. This is alluded to in the musical, but never expressed outright. In the early morning hours, marine biologist Doc is already at work in his one-man Western Biological Laboratory, getting an order of starfish ready to be shipped to a university. His unintelligent friend Hazel (a man) comes in to chat with him (""All Kinds of People""). Millicent, a wealthy young lady, enters from the next room,"
"in a Musical. Actresses to be billed in the lead role in various productions include Broadway, New York 1st US National Tour (""Emerald City"") 2nd US National Tour (""Munchkinland"") Mexico City Chicago, Illinois Los Angeles, California San Francisco, California São Paulo, Brazil West End (London) Production UK & Ireland Tour Stuttgart, Germany Oberhausen, Germany Scheveningen, The Netherlands Tokyo, Japan Melbourne, Australia Sydney, Australia Osaka, Japan Brisbane, Australia Auckland, New Zealand Fukuoka, Japan Seoul, South Korea (They have shared the role of Elphaba equally through the entire run). Elphaba is born green skin, and several theories are put forward in the"