18 times Asian and Asian Americans have made history on Broadway

May is the Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month. To celebrate this, Playbill has compiled a timeline of all the times that Asian and Asian Americans made history on Broadway.

But first a warning: Theater history can be dark. So much of it went undocumented, especially the history of Bipoc artists on Broadway. Many artists in the beginning of the century did not openly identify as black, indigenous or as a person of color, because of the negative impact it could have on their careers. Therefore, the history of whom ‘first’ is on Broadway can be unclear at best.

But below, Playbill created a somewhat comprehensive timeline of Asian representation on Broadway, from on stage to behind the stage. It should not be considered a complete look at Asian American theater history – you can read more about this This textbook or up Asian American Theater Revue. It is enough to say that there are many artists who did not come to Broadway and whose contributions to theater were tremendous, such as Frank chin, Velina Hasu Houston, Qui nguyen, Lauren Yeeand many others.

And many of the artists mentioned below also continue to make waves in the theater (such as Bd wongwhich is currently in the lead role What has become of us Off-broadway at Atlantic Theater Companyor David Henry Hwangwhose Yellow face will get its Broadway premiere this fall).

It is important to remember that as the industry becomes increasingly diverse and inclusive, history is still made every year.

1903
A Japanese Nightingale is produced on Broadway. The melodrama by William Young is adapted from the Winnifred Eaton -Roman. Eaton was Chinese-Britig, who made her the first known openly Asian writer produced on Broadway.

1953
John Patrickplay The tea house of the August moon Premiere on Broadway. It contains accidental music by Dai-Keong Leewho was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize of 1952.

1958
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower drum song Premiere on Broadway. Based on the novel by CY readwith a book by Joseph Fieldsthis is the first musical on Broadway that contains a mostly Asian cast –Juanita Hall and Larry Blydden Both played lead roles as Asian American characters, but they were not Asian Americans. 1951’s The king and I Also mostly white actors played the Siamese characters.

When Flower drum song It was adapted in a 1961 film, it was the first big Hollywood film that showed a mostly Asian cast. Flower drum song Would only be revived in Broadway in 2002, with a revised book by David Henry Hwang (later on him later).

1961
13 daughters is produced on Broadway. It contains book, music and lyrics by Eaton S. “Bob” Magoon, Jr., which was 1/8th Chinese. The show was based on Magoon’s grandfather, Chun Afong, who had 13 daughters. O Chun was played by Always drawwho was not Asian. It would only be in 1990 that a other Asian American composer would have a musical on Broadway (Paul Chihara with Shōgun: The musical).

1965
Actor Mako face East -West players With a group other Asian American artists (Rae Creevey, Beulah Quo, Soon-Tek Oh, James Hong, Pat Li, June KimGuy Lee, and yet close). The company is a way for Asian actors to perform multifaceted roles outside the stereotypes and minor roles offered by the entertainment industry. To this day, it is the oldest Asian American theater company in the US and one of the oldest theaters of color in America.

Mako later makes his Broadway debut in the original production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman‘ Pacific Overtures In 1976. In a groundbreaking move for the time, the show contains a cast of Asian actors (except for one, James Dybas, Who said that later”Hal [Prince] was looking for a cast. I fibed and told her that my mother was Philippines “).

1981
Willa Kim is the first openly Asian US costume designer who won a Tony award, for Sophisticated ladies. She would win another Tony in 1991 The Will Rogers Follies.

1983
Ming for leealso known as “The Dean of American Set Design”, is the first Asian picturesque designer to win a Tony award K2. To this day, he is the only Asian American to have a Tony award for lifelong achievement (awarded in 2013). He died on October 23, 2020 at the age of 90.

1988
David Henry Hwang becomes the first Asian American playwright produced on Broadway M. Butterfly. The show later wins three Tony Awards, including best play, best direction (for John Dexter), and the best actor in a play (for BD Wong). Hwang is the first Asian American playwright to win a Tony award and Wong is the first Asian American actor to win a Tony.

1990
Miss Saigon Open on Broadway. Before coming to Broadway, a number of Asian American artists protest the musical for the cast of Jonathan Pryce (Who is white) to play the engineer, half-white, half-vietnamese character. As a result of these protests, in subsequent versions of Miss Saigonthe engineer is thrown with Asian actors, and non-Asian actors playing Asian roles become more frowned in popular culture.

The Miss Saigon Protests are later dramatized in David Henry Hwang’s play Yellow facewhich will play Broadway in the fall of 2024 (with Nail is not as Hwang, one of the leading voices in the protests).

1991
Which snake Win a Tony Award for Best Actress in a musical to play Kim in Miss Saigon. She is the first female Asian-American actor to win a Tony. It will only be in 2015 that another Asian American actor will win a Tony (Ruthie Ann Miles for The king and Ithe first Asian American to win in the featured performance category by an actress in a musical). Salonga has been part of the Asian American theater history on Broadway several times, and also interprets in the Flower drum song revival, Marryand Here lies love (More about all things later).

2013
Ayad Actar’s place Shame Win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Akhtar is the first Asian American artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play, about a Muslim American lawyer, is produced in Broadway in 2014.

Also in 2013, Diane Paul is the first Asian US Director to win a Tony Award, for Pippin.

2015
Marry Open on Broadway. This is the first Broadway Music Payer created by Asian Americans (composer, lyricist, book writer Jay kuo), directed by an Asian American (Stafford arima), and with a predominantly Asian American cast. It is led by George TakeiWhich Sanlot, and Telly entranceand is based on Takei’s childhood in a Japanese internment camp.

2018
Young Jean Lee is the first female Asian American playwright who had a play on Broadway Straight white men.

Same year, Kai harada becomes the first Asian American sound designer who has a Tony award for his work in The orchestra’s visit.

2022
Helen Park is the first Asian American female composer who has a musical on Broadway, with Kpopwith which she wrote together Jason Kim and Max Vernon.

In the same year, the Asian American artists action received a Tony for excellence in the theater. The organization was established in 2011 to address the lack of representation of Asian American actors at the largest phases in New York. Through their advocacy efforts, including extensive reports on racial and gender distributions at NYC stages, it was a leading voice for diversity in theater.

2023
Here lies love Becomes the first show on Broadway with an all-philippine cast. The musical is by David Byrne and Fatboy smartand contain a casting led by Arielle Jacobs, Conrad saves, Jose Llanaand the Savenga.