Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...It feels a bit like Hwang spilled his various notions and neuroses on matters far and wide onto the page, and the piece probably tries to cover too much ground at once — although that's also part of its charm. Later on, the piece probes the life and works of Hwang's late father, Henry Y. Hwang, who founded the first Asian-American bank. And although much of this material is provocative and moving, and although Hwang wants to make the point that his immigrant father wanted nothing so much as to be an all-American, the link to the world of Asian pimps in musicals is a bit of a stretch. That said, the role is richly played in Steve Scott's production by Joseph Anthony Foronda, who made his career playing, yes, The Engineer in “Miss Saigon.” I remember his performance well. So that rather undermines my point."
Chicago Sun Times - Recommended
"...Directed by Steve Scott, “Yellow Face” is not without its lumps, bumps and repetitiousness in writing and performance. But it is provocative, caustically funny and touching. And it certainly raises questions about this country’s ever-shifting relationship with China and the Far East."
Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended
"...Hwang shows up as a character (played by David Rhee), and a big part of what makes the ambivalence fascinating is his willingness to apply it to himself. Sometimes portrayed sympathetically, Hwang is just as often exposed as a damned fool. Steve Scott's production is smart and strong--though I can't imagine why, in a play so attuned to minority sensitivities, he permits a very brief but cheap caricature of a Jew."
Windy City Times - Highly Recommended
"...Yellow Face is very much is a character-driven comedy of ideas, but Hwang and director Steve Scott are far too astute ever to let the show bog down in talk or sound too intellectual. Its principal energies are visceral and emotional as Hwang tells a tale at once personal and professional. The engaging cast is lead by David Rhee (registering confusion so well as Hwang), Joseph Anthony Foranda gravely charming as Dad Hwang and Clayton Stamper as the almost-naive Raymond Ghee. Tom Burch's unit set for the 3/4 round stage features furniture cubes on a polished black floor, neutral but flexible and appropriate."
Talkin Broadway - Recommended
"...the first act's comedy and the thoughtful philosophy and relevance of the topic of racial stereotyping and profiling make Yellow Face well worth the time. Scott's direction and cast, including leads Rhee, Foronda and Stamper as well as the versatile, expert ensemble (Lydia Berger, Tanya McBride, Christopher Meister and Christopher Popio), give the script a top-drawer reading. Tom Burch's simple but elegant Asian-influenced unit set and Matt Guither's smart costumes of business attire add to the production's sophistication and class."
Centerstage - Highly Recommended
"...This is a tight, enjoyable, thought-provoking show. Staged in brisk, clean strokes by director Steve Scott, the skilled ensemble falls easily into a gallery of roles ranging from amusing caricature to nuanced portrait. Notable among them is Joseph Anthony Foronda’s turn as Hwang’s father, a first generation immigrant and successful banker; Foronda does a great job with the role’s pompous, blustering broad comedy and deeply felt human story."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...Silk Road Theatre Project’s Yellow Face is a complex staged undertaking, delivered by a powerfully talented cast that results in simply excellent theater."
Time Out Chicago - Recommended
"...Hwang’s mix of characters creates its own witty comment on color-blind casting: Public figures such as Sen. Fred Thompson and producer Cameron Mackintosh are played by an Asian-American woman (ensemble member Tanya McBride) without our blinking an eye. Scott’s clean, spare staging is paced effectively, even if Hwang’s script begins to feel self-indulgent by the time a New York Times reporter is repeatedly identified as “Name Withheld on Advice of Counsel.” Yellow Face is ultimately worth the reflection."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Playwright David Henry Hwang makes himself a character in his own play which he does both with self-deprecation and self-righteous rage. With a confusing mixture of fact and fiction, Hwang tries to give all sides of the issue of non-traditional casting or race-switching casting. Hwang begins with his vocal protests of having a white guy play an Eurasian Vietnamese pimp in Miss Saigon. He got Actor’s Equity to ban Jonathan Pryce from playing the role causing a controversy that only garnered so much publicity that Miss Saigon got a tremendous advance ticket sales. Eventually, artistic license caused both Equity and Hwang to back off thus allowing Pryce to win another Tony Award."
Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended
"...Ultimately, this elaborate, two-hour joke is on the audience. We too easily buy into this fakery about a white actor who wills himself into becoming Asian—and fools innocent dupes who can’t judge a book by its cover. After we’re undeceived, we have little to show for it other than the unedifying conclusion that “Nothing human is ever pure.” You knew that already, I’m bold enough to bet. Incidentally, Hwang, who also serves as Silk Road’s artistic ambassador, has also written “Chinglish,” which receives its world premiere at Goodman Theatre later in the month."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Highly Recommended
"...On the surface, YELLOW FACE is an entertaining political parody. The dialogue engages with sharp wit. The premise mulls over embracing or ignoring ethnic differences. Being "politically-correct" becomes it's own joke. At face value, this show is about cultural identity. Remove the mask and at the heart of YELLOW FACE, Playwright Hwang wrote a beautifully complicated and charming tribute to his father."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is a tight play that must have been hard to put down on paper as much if it is a personal part of Hwang’s own story. Hwang is an American, but he is a Asian American and to many there is a difference. In this story, his father ( a marvelous character played by the always strong Joseph Anthony Foronda) came to America to become an American and build a better life. He does, but as it turns out is being investigated over some money transfers from China that may not be “kosher” and his son has been placed on the board and all hell breaks looses. The other cast members that make this production one that should be on your “to see list” are Lydia Berger,Tanya McBride,Christopher Meister and Christopher Popio who take on many roles as this story unfolds."
Chicago Theater Beat - Highly Recommended
"...Yellow Face just may be one of the smartest plays about race currently running in our allegedly post-racial world. But that’s not the main reason it’s worth seeing. No, the reason to see Yellow Face is that Scott has created a show that’s wholly absorbing. It will make you think about tricky matters of ethnicity, skin color and stereotyping, but it will also keep you engaged from start to finish. As individual performers and as an ensemble, this cast is fantastic. Silk Road has set the standard for this summer’s informal David Henry Hwang Fest (Chinglish at the Goodman, Family Devotions at Halcyon). If the other productions are this good, it will be a festival to celebrate whether you’re Asian, Caucasian or, Eurasian Siberian Jew."