Kenneth Lin's "Po Boy Tango" has some good moments. In its West Coast premiere at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Little Tokyo (and East West Players production), this play is supposed to be about cooking and good conversation between two living people, but the most interesting character is the one who is supposed to be dead.
Richie Po's mother, Po Mama (Jeanne Sakata), has recently died. She was the star of a cooking show, but she wanted to pass on a few family cooking secrets to her son who is living in the U.S. Richie (Dennis Dun) can't do it alone and while his family is in Taiwan for his mother's funeral, he enlists an old friend, Gloria B. (Esther Scott), to help him re-create his mother's recipes. Richie was born and raised in Taiwan. Gloria is an African American woman.
Lin's script gives Po Mama the best lines, or at least, it seemed that way on opening night. Both Dun and Scott flubbed a few too many lines. Under the direction of Oanh Nguyen, the pacing dragged in spots. As for the tango, Kelly Todd's choreography didn't make it clear just what kind of tango we were talking about and director Nguyen could have done more to integrate the concept or ambiance of tango into the production.
I love cooking and tango, but I didn't love this show. Sakata's Po Mama...she deserves a whole play, especially if it involves cooking.
"Po Boy Tango" was workshopped at the South Coast Rep's Pacific Playwrights Festival in 2007. Earlier this year, the play made its world premiere at the Northlight Theatre in Chicago where Sakata originated the role of Po Mama.
"Po Boy Tango" continues until 6 December 2009 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Pay-what-you-can performance, Friday, 27 November 2009, 8 p.m. Dark 26 November (Thursday). $25-$35. (213) 625-7000 or visit www.EastWestPlayers.org.
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