Be Like Water

Be Like Water
World Premiere poster
Written by	Dan Kwong
Characters	Tracy Fong Ghost of Bruce Lee Kimiko Fong Frank Fong Bruce Lee Jeremy Morton Tina Kawai MacDonald Two Black-hooded Ninjas
Date premiered	September 2008
Place premiered	East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater Los Angeles, California
Original language	English
Subject	Asian American family, identity and oppression, Bruce Lee
Genre	Drama, Asian American theatre
Setting	Spring, 1978 Chicago - Uptown

Be Like Water (2008) is a play written by Dan Kwong, originally produced at East West Players, in association with Cedar Grove OnStage. The play received its world premiere in Los Angeles on September 17, 2008, directed by Chris Tashima, at East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts in Los Angeles.^[1] The story follows a young Asian American girl in 1970s Chicago, who is visited by the Ghost of Bruce Lee.

Play summary[]

Tracy Fong is a 13-year-old ass-kicking, gung-fu fanatic tomboy, challenged by school bullies, airhead rivals, and a mother who just wants her to be a "normal girl." When bad goes to worse, the Ghost of Bruce Lee appears to teach her the true meaning of strength and the true power of water.^[2]

Characters[]

Tracy Fong

13, Chinese Japanese American. Tomboy-ish, tough, quick-tempered, defiant.

Ghost of Bruce Lee

32, Tracy's mentor, Chinese American. The greatest martial artist in the world. Cocky, intense, philosophical yet funny.

Kimiko Fong

38, Tracy's mother, Japanese American. Elegant, tightly-wound, upper-class roots, can go from cheery to icy in a flash.

Frank Fong

35, Tracy's father, Chinese American. Easy going working-class guy, droll sense of humor, not easily angered.

Bruce Lee

13, Tracy's best friend, Chinese American. Scrawny, nerdy, acerbic wit, great disco-dancer. An unapologetic oddball.

Jeremy Morton

14, School bully, Caucasian. Working-class, tough, angry.

Tina Kawai MacDonald

13, Tracy's classmate, Hapa (Japanese Caucasian). Pretty, fashionable dresser, highly groomed, rather superficial.

Two Hooded-Ninjas

Companions of the Ghost in his Nether-world domain.

World Premiere company[]

East West Players, Los Angeles, CA; Opened September 17, 2009; Closed October 12, 2009

Original Los Angeles cast[]

(in order of appearance)

• Ghost of Bruce Lee – Cesar Cipriano
• Tracy – Saya Tomioka
• Bruce Lee – Shawn Huang
• Jeremy – Jonathan Decker
• Frank – Michael Sun Lee
• Kimiko – Pam Hayashida
• Tina – Ariel Rivera
• Hooded Ninjas – Michael Sun Lee, Pam Hayashida, Ariel Rivera, Jonathan Decker

Los Angeles production staff[]

• Director – Chris Tashima
• Martial Arts Choreographers – Diana Lee Inosanto & Ron Balicki
• Dance Choreographer –
• Set Designer – Akeime Mitterlehner
• Costume designer – Naomi Yoshida
• Lighting designer – Jose Lopez
• Sound Designer/Music Composition – Dave Iwataki
• Projection Designer – Alexander Gao
• Property Master – Ken Takemoto
• Hair, Makeup & Mask Design – Alyssa Ravenwood
• Stage Manager – Ondina V. Dominguez^[1]

Reviews[]

• 9/19/08 review by F. Kathleen Foley for Los Angeles Times
• 9/19/08 review by Cristofer Gross on theatertimes.org
• 10/01/08 review by Jennie Webb^{[permanent dead link]} for Backstage
• 10/02/08 review by Bill Raden for LA Weekly
• 10/02/08 review by Jana J. Monji for Pasadena Weekly
• 10/03/08 review by Lynda Lin for Pacific Citizen
• 10/08/08 review on 'view from a loft' artist's blog
• 10/17/08 review by William Hong on Asia Pacific Arts (UCLA Asia Institute)
• Oct. '08 review by Edward Pollard for Black Belt (magazine)

Awards[]

• 2009 Backstage Garland's Critics List (Jennie Webb):^[3]
  • CHOREOGRAPHY – Ron Balicki, Diana Lee Inosanto, and Blythe Matsui
  • SOUND DESIGN –

See also[]

Bruce Lee: A Warrior's Journey

References[]

External links[]

• Playwright Dan Kwong's website