There is a sense of tragedy to acknowledge that whenever there is progress made with any given historically underrepresented community in the United States, history always finds a way to repeat itself. Are we doomed to keep repeating that cycle? Such is the question presented in the East West Players production of Unbroken Blossoms, a world premiere play written by Philip W. Chung and directed by Jeff Liu.

Through a glimpse at an unknown passage of history involving two real-life Chinese American men, Unbroken Blossoms is an amusing play that starts off uneven but sticks its landing hard in such a profound and haunting manner that will be sure to stay with you well after the show ends.

Unbroken Blossoms follows Moon, an idealistic family man, and James, a cynical, aspiring filmmaker. The two are hired as the Chinese American consultants for Broken Blossoms, Hollywood’s first onscreen interracial love story… between a white actress and a white actor in yellowface makeup. If the circumstances weren’t already questionable enough, the consultants must contend with the outsized ego of the film’s director D.W. Griffith, who is attempting to belie criticisms of racism after the release of his controversial film The Birth of a Nation. Based on actual events, this world premiere production illuminates a historical conflict just behind the
silver screen.

Upon reviewing this play, I am instantly reminded of Ghost Waltz, another play that takes a forgotten real-life historical figure and spins a reimagined tale that while it may not have any basis in historical truth, it serves to present the significance and importance these figures had in American history. This may also be why the first half of the play has some slight story point and pacing issues in who the story is truly about as so much of the focus is on the tyrannical director D.W. Griffith (played by Arye Goss). While Goss does a fantastic job in portraying the real-life director in all his glory and faults, there are pacing issues as we listen to many of his monologues delivered to the audience in his filmmaking struggles.

Because the story after all is not about Griffith but about James B. Leong (Gavin Kawin Lee) and Moon Kwan (Ron Song). While the first act is a serviceable entry in getting us to know the world that they live in, it ultimately suffers stiffness issues in Lee’s portrayal of Leong and line memorization from some of the other actors (which, understandably, will be smoothed out over the course of the play’s run). Once we get to the end of the first act, the play picks up considerably so by the time we get to the second half, we see these characters start coming to life after a bumpy first act. It is here that all the actors begin to truly shine in their roles. Special mention does need to made for Alexandra Hellquist in making us feel for her Lillian Gish as she undergoes a rather awful and terrifying moment under the hands of her director.

It could even be argued for me that the second act is how the play should actually start. The story has always been a memory recollection from James B. Leong’s point of view when he was younger (Lee does a wonderful job switching back and forth from his older to younger self) and it is when the play goes into the abstract dream territory of his interaction with his friend Moon Kwan and how he would direct Broken Blossoms that there are some incredible iconic scenes that will stay with me for quite some time. It’s not often that a play that has some issues in the beginning finds it way to land one hell of an ending but Unbroken Blossoms does just that.

Within this dream scene, one particular memorable moment involves Conlan Ledwith‘s ridiculously over the top portrayal of Richard Barthelmess where he first acts out his terrible Chinese character’s confession of love to Alexandra Hellquist’s Lillian Gish that gradually transforms into a genuine real moment of vulnerability, stripped of all its stereotypes and accents. We see the compassion in Moon Kwan (which is played beautifully by Song) as he forgives his friend and reminds Leong of how much he has accomplished in his life. While Lee suffers stiffness issues in the first half of the play, all issues of his performance become dissolved when his character grapples with the guilt that Leong feels in playing an unknowing part that got his friend to be horrifically assaulted. And that creepy smile at the end with all the actors taking part? That’s a bold and riveting horror choice to end the play with as it leaves the audience with an unsettling feeling if things have indeed progressed.

I adored the design elements of this show so major kudos to scenic designer Mina Kinukawa, projection designer Sam Clevenger, properties designer Michael O’Hara, costume designer Jaymee Ngernwichit, lighting designer Wes Charles Chew, assistant lighting designer Kelly Rodriguez, and sound designer Cinthia Nava. All these design elements played a wonderful job in transporting us back to the world of 1920’s America and of course, to put this altogether, I commend stage manager Brandon Hong Cheng and assistant stage manager Irene DH Lee for a fantastic job in its precise coordination.

Nowadays, I’m not a fan of Asian American identity plays and movies so it takes a certain amount of risk and something new to get me to appreciate the work when it does. The most important takeaway is that I appreciate any historical work of art that spotlights on the forgotten and the silenced. While Unbroken Blossoms may start off conventional, by the end, it goes into new and vibrant territory that resonates strongly thanks to the writing of Chung and the direction under Liu.

Tickets to Unbroken Blossoms may be purchased online at eastwestplayers.org or by
calling (213) 625-7000. At time of purchase please mention any wheelchair/accessible seating needs. Student, senior, and group discounts are available. Box office is available 11AM – 5PM, Monday-Friday, as well as ninety minutes before all performances.

All performances of Unbroken Blossoms will be presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater in the Union Center of the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 in Little Tokyo.

Unbroken Blossoms will perform now through July 21, 2024. Performance times Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays are at 8PM, with additional 2PM matinees on Saturday and 5PM performances on Sunday. All Saturday 2PM performances are Masked Matinees, making theater more accessible to audiences who prefer a masked audience experience.

Ticket prices range from $39 to $69. A Pay-What-You-Can performance is scheduled for Monday, July 8 at 8PM. EWP offers $15 Access Tickets in limited quantity to all performances. Access Tickets are intended to lower the price barrier to access live theater by offering a more affordable option to EWP mainstage performances. Access Tickets are available via the same methods all tickets are purchased, with no additional steps necessary to purchase. Performance dates and details are subject to change.