Mei is on a mission. Rootless, unsure of the parts that make her whole, she beds as many Asian men as possible to discover what type of Asian she really is.
From its neon-lit set to the blaring contemporary soundtrack, Orientation's confident, brash exterior hides a nerdy insecurity: Who are we? What makes us real? Can we ever be complete if we don't know who to love?
Playwright and director Chye-Ling Huang's second full-length stage work is a coming-of-age for Asian theatre. Bluntly sexy, chock-full of contemporary name-drops and pop-culture references, it's both a bold assertion of Asian women as sex sirens and a renunciation.
Natasha Daniel as Mei, a biracial Chinese woman, tasks the Everyman (Kyle Chuen) with finding her sexual partners. He obliges by becoming every Asian sexual fantasy she can summon with a flick of her fingers. Chuen and Daniel are assured, physical actors; Chuen's mimicry of Asian celebs draws laughs for its accuracy.
But this is where Orientation first splits into complexity: for Chuen, who is also biracial, passes as white – and introduces himself as the actor who can play any and all Asians in yellowface. For those of Asian background in the audience, this was the point at which they started experiencing the play differently.
