More Pork Please
Reviewed by Lam PhamPrevious to OPM's act, another Asian comedy troupe packed the NWAAT house with the same intent of tickling funny bones but to entirely different effect. This may have been their first time performing to an audience, but the Pork Filled Players' show "At Work: Makin' Bacon" proved both clever and humorous.
Situation comedies like "Fat Farm," 'Microsoft Airplane 1.0," and "Customer Satisfaction," proved Asian American actors were not limited to accents or forced to conceal their identity behind tacky cartoonish masks. With charming interactive dialogues and original characters and situations, PFP's actors displayed a scope of talent and exhibited a myriad of characters over the course of their 15-sketch show.
While PFP seeks an audience of "all ages," a few of the sketches seemed narrowly tailored to the computer-techie generation But PFP had other assets: the presence of a director, quick and inventive scene transitions (by spraying the stage with a fire extinguisher), bright acting and a cohesive ensemble.
Kudos to NWAAT for bringing PFP back for encore performances in May. With a catchy, intelligible name and promising debut, Pork Filled Players brings the neglected art of sketch comedy to the local Asian American theatre. This Bacon should not be passed up!
Theater troupe struggles for identity with laughter
by Aki Yanigisawa
NW Asian WeeklyThe Pork Filled Players know not only how to make an audience laugh, they also provide a view of Asian Americans that goes beyond the usual stereotypes.
The Asian comedy troupe opens its 199899 season with '`All Wallows Eve: Tales from the Sty," an all-new show which was to have its debut Oct. 9, at Northwest Asian American Theatre in Seattle's Chinatown/lnternational District.
In describing their work, Players say their various productions strive to mingle intimate sketches of daily life experiences of Asian Americans along with abundant comical lines to keep the audience laughing.
The group was formed by singer, songwriter, actor and playwright David Kobayashi, who wanted to see an Asian American comedy group that could produce work that intimately reflects Asian American topics and issues. Yet those productions should be suitable for all ages, races, sexual orientation and interests, he added.
"I think Asian American comedy is a great thing," Kobayashi said. "It's great to look at yourself and laugh, and comedy is a way to demystify our culture."
Roger Tang, who writes and produces the various Pork Filled Player performances, said the group is "always good for few laughs, but still can be looked at from the Asian American perspective."
The ethnicities of the members vary and include Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Guamanian, Hawaiian, and Caucasian Americans. All were selected through auditions and interviews.
Tang explained that the group intentionally selects works that aim to depict characters in not-so-stereotypical manners.
"We don't see many Asian Americans in Seinfeld or Home Improvement, and a lot of people think that Asian Americans aren't so funny," Tang said. "We want asian Americans (to be portrayed) not just as nerds or insane."
Characters portrayed by the Pork Filled Players, however, can be unique in many ways —not just Asian American. In their last presentation, "At Work: Making Bacon," for example, one of the main characters was a Catholic, Filipino and a bad driver.
According to Tang, the current show also deals with a variety of topics and issues presented in people's everyday lives. But it's also happening in October, he said, in honor of Halloween, with an emphasis on the scary things in life, such as relationships and employment.
Kobayashi added, "It's nice to see a comedy you can understand. It allows you to laugh at the quirks of the culture without seeing the regular stereotypes."
The Pork Filled Players, whose name comes from Uwajimaya's lunch menu and its "ham reference," promise above all to keep the audience laughing.
"We're kind of funny people, with good chemistry and lots of talent in the group," Kobayashi said.
All Wallows Eve: Tales from the Sty features directors Cyndie Mastel-Rokicki and Leilani Wollam, and players Wollam, Kobayashi and Tang, as well as Daniel Arreola, Eric de los Santos, Wally Glenn, Sharon Holmes, Mona Leach and Richard Sloniker.
The show continues through Oct. 25, at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday evenings. The cost is $6 for general admission.
For reservations, call the Northwest Asian American Theatre at (206) 340-1049.
This charming collection of sketches will remind you that theatre can be silly and light and catch you by surprise. A witty script and campy performance by the Pork Filled Players combine for a satisfying experience. The sketches are as ethnically diverse as the cast and cultural stereotypes they ridicule. We witness the ghost of a dead Chinese woman repairing the life of her grandson, a reoccurring Filipino fitness guru, and even learn a little Hawaiian folklore. Let us not forget the betrayal of Pop (the character from the Rice Crispies trio) by Lucky the gay Leprechaun as he runs off with rainbow billed Toucan Sam. Although the staging is often uninspired and occasionally lost to all but the first row, I cannot deny the creativity and humor that make this show worth viewing.
Where No Pig Has Gone Before
The Pork Filled Players
Likable and amusing, if not always laugh-out-loud funny, the Pork Filled Players mine familiar sketch-comedy themes like dating, health clubs, and the sex lives of cereal mascots with great success. Artists-in-residence at Northwest Asian American Theater, the group naturally includes many references to being Asian in America in its work, but the biggest laughs here come from good old-fashioned physical comedy and a pair of wonderful characters: a scolding Chinese grandma and a narcissistic Filipino aerobics instructor. --J.B.
(sic) & twisted: neurose, delusion, fetishes, & other modern joys
Reviewed by Susan PhinneyThe Pork Filled Players poke fun at some of the nutcases we deal with daily, and some of the daily news that borders on the surreal. They do a take on a bear-bitten tourist who faces his attacker -- a briefcase-carrying bear -- in court. Another sketch features a neurotic receptionist detailing all the germ-ridden reasons she can't go out to lunch. As dogs picking up their phone messages, or workplace failures attending a ``how-to-get-a-job'' seminar, this multi-ethnic ensemble displays multiple talents. The two aliens who make repeated brief appearances merely distract, and a fart-based sketch is, well, almost odorous. Grade: B
(sic) and twisted might best be summed up as "six character actors in search of good sketch comedy" - a search which proves to be by and large successful. In just over an hour, the Pork Filled Players bring us 20 quick-paced sketches - some sequels to each other, some which stand alone - from which the attention of the audience never has time to wander. In Weight Droppers Anonymous, we find ourselves faced with a character in search of a non- existent 21st sketch. After blurting "skinny bitch" sporadically during the group session, he comes to a realization: "You mean this isn't Transvestites With Tourettes?" No deep thoughts, no grand messages. Just an hour's worth of mostly on-the-mark humor and satire, directed at such easy but enjoyable targets as Ally McBeal (in the eerily accurate KC McBeal), and alien conspiracies (complete with Elvis allusion, of course). KC Dupps and Mona Armonio Leach are especially successful at unleashing their comedic gifts on the willing audience. -- Mike Estey
Dim Sum! The Musical! is simply scrumptious
By Yayoi Una Winfrey
For the NW Asian WeeklyDuring the Sun Dynasty of 960 to 1280 AD, drinking tea became a popular Chinese custom. Following a grueling day in the fields, agrarian communities; relaxed at local teahouses with their favorite beverages and snacks. As the varieties of tea offered to the public grew, so did the accompanying munchies.
Although the characters for dim sum are written as yin cha and is literally translated as "to drink tea,' the word now means the supplementing delicacies. Prepared in bite-sized pieces so that several different kinds can be sampled, dim sum was traditionally served in bamboo steamers.
According to good friend and Chinese food expert Serena Louie, the dim sum experience hails from Canton. It also has another definition – "a little piece of the heart' because each steamed dumpling is symbolic of apportioned love.
Dim Sum! The Musical!, on the other hand, is inedible, albeit chock full of little pieces of the heart.
Entertaining and educational, the play is a collection of comical sketches and songs that humorously looks at the various ways dim sum is prepared, served, sampled, bought and sold from the perspective of cooks, wait staff, customers, restaurant owners and even the dim sum themselves.
Featuring the Pork Filled Players, Seattle's only multicultural comedy group, Dim Sum! is performed as a series. of titled vignettes. Each actor is named after a dim sum ingredient, but portrays several nameless characters, making it exasperating Ito figure out which skit is on according to the program.
Cleverly choreographed by Wendy Chinn, Dim Sum! opens with, a burlesque-like production number featuring dancers in black fishnet stockings, leather pants and vinyl shorts.
David Kobayashi (nor mei gai) is the appropriately snooty maitre'd who speaks with a French accent and guides us through the acts as if they were luncheon specials.
In between bits, Seung Yon Lee (chicken feet) as a harried waitress urges a cart full of goodies across, the stage, aggressively hurling suggestions at the audience. In another scene she is excellent as the put-upon immigrant employee, fighting off sexual harassment by boss Kobayashi.
Popular American culture is parodied in pieces about the television series "Charlie's Angles" and "X-Please," a spoof on the comic book superhero movie "The X-Men." In a lampoon about Russian agents, there's a spy named Jackoff, while "Loan a Part" features adorable animals tricked into trading body parts for money.
Eric de los Santos (manapua boy) is a gifted actor stealing scene after scene. In "'Hot Wasabi:' he's a pocket protector-wearing dork with taped eyeglasses who turns on his female companion with his steamy reaction to their spicy meal. His animated facial expressions are priceless.
"Our food is so bad, even white people won't eat it," complains an Asian restaurant worker. "Dim Sum Master" (de los Santos) is the see-all mystic who instructs the restaranteur and his staff on improving their venue. Annoyed with the loud piped-in Oriental music, he demands it be turned off.
"If I wanted to bear this music, I'd go back to Taiwan" he blurts out.
Marinel de Jesus (siu mai) is a skillful songstress with a lovely voice. One hilarious bit has her singing her heart out to a table full of Asian customers who are all too polite to eat the last piece of dim sum- her. Finally, she appeals to the lone white patron and proclaims her love for him when he agrees to shamelessly devour her..
In "The Bill," manapua boy and Darren Wade (cheng fun) argue over who will pay the dinner bill. When manapua boy insists that he should since he makes more money, the fight (and the laughs) is on.
Produced by Roger W. Tang and directed by Cyndie Mastel-Rokicki, "Dim Sum!" showcases an ensemble of incredibly talented actors singers. dancers and comedians.
Though skilfully written with lots of clever quips, Dim Sum! could use a little music to segue the vignettes. At times, the choices didn't quite fit with the theme of either the previous or following act. It was also irritating to strain to hear the mic-less actors when the audience's loud guffaws overpowered their lines. Still, the production is both captivating and comical.
All in all, Dim Sum! The Musical! is a delicious way to spend an evening. Go and share a piece of the heart, but be prepared for the hunger pangs afterward for some real dim sum - the edible land.
"Dim Sum! The Musical!" plays now, through Nov. 19 at the Theater Off Jackson, located at 409 Seventh Ave. S. in Seattle. For tickets and show times, call (206) 221-5621.
An' Dim Sum!
Dotstry Jackson
City Collegian
Dim Sum! The Musical! opened to a near-cpacity audience of cast friends, family and people with an obvious fetish for the insane, October 27, at the Theatre Off Jackson. Performed by the Pork Filled Players, a local comedy troupe, the cast took to poking fun (with a red hot dagger, directly to the eyes) of every politically correct or incorrect cliche they could think of. During the performance, they also tackled many mysteries: What are the origins of the Dim Sum? Cantonese hillbillies, maybe? Why do record companies love multicultural superstars? "Two languages, two Cds!" Think about it, silly. And, most importantly, why the hell are you not at the Theatre Off Jackson Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights?
The interior of the Theatre Off Jackson is an interesting sight. Paper lanterns line the hallway of the lobby, giving it an impressive, antiquated look despite the set of modern track lighting next to it. This combination of cultures begins to set the tone for what is in store: a seemingly ridiculous, yet dead on satire on what various ethnicities living in America consider American Culture to be.
The Pork Filled Players, consisting of a huge range of personalities, showed their impressive skills and their total disdain for traditional racial roles by rarely having actors/actresses play roles typically played by people of that skin color. For example, "goofy but sexy white guy" and "Dim Sum Master", a master of martial arts as well as culinary arts, were played by the same Hawaiian actor. In a series of sketches meant to either educate or humiliate the stereotypical gaijin (an outlander, for those of you not in the know). Even though the production insists "It ain't no musical," the cast gives their hilarious take on quite a few Broadway and Top 40 hits, in addition to original non-musical material.
As impressive as the show was, regardless of the fact that each biting remark hit home with accuracy normally reserved for political science teachers, there were some topics they really should have left alone. For example, who needs to be reminded of the extremely annoying Pepsi girl that induces violent shudders with every attempt to be cute and consumer savvy. "out of sight, out of mind" is how the saying goes, and the longer, the better.
But don't be surprised if you never see the same sketches ever again. The actors gave off the impression that every performance was unique and even decided to stray from the program every once in a while.
Dim Sum! The Musical! is running from Oct. 27 to Nov. 19 every Friday and Saturday at 10:30 pm and Sundays at 4:30 pm, at the Theatre Off Jackson, right under the Wing Luke Museum.
Seattle Gay News, December 2001
Witty, funny, mutlicultural holiday show gives season a refreshing spin
by Rajkeht Dirzhud-Rashid
There are those standards which all of us remember this time of year, and then there are shows we actually enjoy, without reservation,just because they're different and make us laugh in ways the "old faithfuls" never will. This year's frontrunner has to be Pork Filled Players "Crouching Elves, Hidden Packages", a funny series of sketches that hit on everything from how the idea of becoming politically correct is ruining a good holiday to the title sketch, which weaves a little Matrix, a little martial arts and lots of humor.The show introduces some newcomers to the group, which has been around for about five years now, and their addition is both a breath of fresh air and a treat for old and new fans of PFP. Most notable of the group is newcomer Aileen Strain, who does a sarcastic "Santa Baby" with new lyrics and also shows how even Santa's "operation" could be corrupted by "venture capital."
Also exciting to watch are newcomers Ed Tonai and Audrey Wang, who have energy to burn and add new perspectives in sketches dealing with a Microsoft executive who will stop at nothing to get what he wants for Christmas and a child who gives Santa her opinion on the whole multicultural thing.
A show full of wit and dazzle, and with fresh takes on a season most of us are always glad to see pass by. Oh, and see if you think Daren Wade doesn't remind you of Jon Lovitz. He'll make you laugh so hard you may be sorry you had that large latte before the show. For more information about tickets, call (206) 365-0282.
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