Two years ago this play, The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin, was deep in rehearsals at the Indiana Repertory Theatre. It was set to open in March 2020… and then the world shut down. Miraculously, the entire original cast has returned for this production. Harry Chin was a real man who immigrated from China to Minnesota. His story inspired the playwright, Jessica Huang, to delve deeper into historical records and speak with his family members. By focusing on one man’s life Huang tackles the difficult subject of immigration while humanizing the people on the stage. It doesn’t become a big "I" issue play instead, it is the story of a family and a complicated relationship between fathers and daughters and first-generation Americans and their immigrant parents. The cultural differences feel insurmountable at times, but there are undeniable ties that bind a family. It is messy in the way that all real life is. There’s something powerful about the moment when a child discovers her parent...
Midwest theater reviews, everything from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare.