Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord

Last updated

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord
Written by Kristina Wong
Date premieredNovember 4, 2021 (2021-11-04)
Place premiered New York Theatre Workshop
Subject Xenophobia and racism related to the COVID-19 pandemic

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord is a 2021 American play by Kristina Wong. Its premise is based on Wong's experience organizing hundreds of volunteers to sew masks amid the COVID-19 pandemic, calling themselves the "Auntie Sewing Squad". Over the course of the play, Wong uses comedy to address themes such as the often unattainable nature of the American Dream, anti-Asian racism in the U.S. caused by the pandemic, and the invisible labor of women and people and color. The play was a finalist for the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and won the Lucille Lortel Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Show. [1]

Contents

Production history

The play was developed through live Zoom performances during the pandemic.

New York Theatre Workshop, NYC (2021)

Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord premiered off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop on November 4, 2021. [2] The production was directed by Chay Yew, and was streamed virtually for purchase. [3]

West Coast Productions (2022–2023)

The show made its West Coast premiere at La Jolla Playhouse's Potiker Theatre on September 20, 2022. [4] Wong later brought the play to Portland Center Stage beginning in November 2022 and performed at Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre beginning in February 2023.

Reception

The show has received positive reviews. Laura Collins-Hughes of The New York Times declared it a Critics Pick, describing the show as a "spiky comic tonic". [5] In a review of Center Theatre Group's production of the show in Los Angeles, critic Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times praised Wong's performance as being full of "vibrant, wacky, lovably chaotic immediacy". [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunter Foster</span> American actor

Hunter Foster is an American musical theatre actor, singer, librettist, playwright and director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jefferson Mays</span> American actor

Lewis Jefferson Mays is an American actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Tony Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, two Drama Desk Awards, two Outer Critics Circle Awards and three Obie Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BD Wong</span> American actor (born 1960)

Bradley Darryl Wong is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in M. Butterfly, becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and Theatre World Award for the same role. For his role as Whiterose in the television series Mr. Robot, he was nominated for both a Critic's Choice Television Award and an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eden Espinosa</span> American actress and singer (born 1978)

Eden Erica Espinosa is an American actress and singer who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked. In 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her role as the Queen of Hearts in Alice's Wonderland Bakery. In 2024, Espinosa received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Lempicka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Arden</span> American actor

Michael Jerrod Moore, known professionally as Michael Arden, is an American actor, singer, musician, and theatre director. Arden won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical in 2023 for the revival of the musical Parade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Davie</span> American actress and singer

Erin Davie is an American actress and singer, best known for her performance as the young Edith Bouvier Beale in the musical Grey Gardens, taking the part on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2006, after its initial run Off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kristina Wong</span> American performance artist, comedian and actor

Kristina Wong is an American comedian known primarily for her work as a solo theater performer, performance artist, and actor. She identifies as a feminist and her work often tackles themes regarding race, sex, and privilege, often in conjunction with the Asian-American experience, through a satirical lens.

Alli Mauzey is an American actress and singer best known for her performance as Glinda in the Broadway and 1st national tour productions of Wicked and for originating the role of Lenora in the musical Cry-Baby, as well as the main character voice acting role of Lioness in the animated series A.T.O.M..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Baldwin</span> American singer

Katherine Baldwin is an American singer and actress known for her work in musical theater. She received a Tony Award nomination for her work in the 2009 Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow. She also co-starred opposite Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, and Gavin Creel in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!, for which she received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle award nominations for her work as the saucy millineress Irene Molloy. Baldwin continued with the production until it closed in August 2018.

Christopher Ashley is an American stage director. Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of La Jolla Playhouse.

<i>Chaplin</i> (2006 musical) Musical by Christopher Curtis

Chaplin: The Musical, formerly titled Limelight: The Story of Charlie Chaplin, is a musical with music and lyrics by Christopher Curtis and book by Curtis and Thomas Meehan. The show is based on the life of Charlie Chaplin. The musical, which started at the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2006, debuted at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2010, and then premiered on Broadway in 2012.

Rob McClure is an American actor and singer, best known for his work on the Broadway stage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenn Colella</span> American actress and singer

Jennifer Lin Colella is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in musical theatre.

<i>Come from Away</i> Musical first produced in 2013

Come from Away is a musical, with book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. It is based on the events in the Newfoundland town of Gander during the week following the September 11 attacks, when 38 planes, carrying approximately 7,000 passengers, were ordered to land unexpectedly at Gander International Airport. The characters in the musical are based on actual Gander residents and stranded travelers they housed and fed.

<i>The Inheritance</i> (play) 2018 play by Matthew Lopez

The Inheritance is a play by Matthew López that is inspired by the 1910 novel Howards End by E. M. Forster. The play premiered in London at the Young Vic in March 2018, before transferring to Broadway in November 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures</span>

Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is the live show, stageplay and musical production arm of Warner Bros. Discovery. The company forms a part of Warner Bros., one of the major business segments of Warner Bros. Discovery. Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures is led by Mark Kaufman.

<i>Aint Too Proud</i> 2018 jukebox musical

Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations is a 2017 jukebox musical with music and lyrics by The Temptations and a book by Dominique Morisseau. Based on the story of The Temptations, the musical had a series of regional productions and opened at Broadway's Imperial Theatre in March 2019.

What the Constitution Means to Me is a 2017 American play by Heidi Schreck. The play premiered on Broadway on March 31, 2019 at the Hayes Theater, with Schreck herself in the leading role. Over the course of the play, Schreck addresses themes such as women's rights, immigration, domestic abuse, and the history of the United States. Schreck varies the time period in which the play takes place, performing some scenes as her modern self and others as her fifteen-year-old self participating in Constitutional debate contests. What the Constitution Means to Me has received accolades such as a nomination for Best Play in the 73rd Tony Awards and a finalist spot for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

<i>Diana</i> (musical) 2019 musical

Diana is a musical with music and lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, and a book by DiPietro, based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. A filmed performance was added to the streaming service Netflix on 1 October 2021, to negative reviews.

Paul Alexander Nolan is a Canadian actor and singer, who has appeared in several musical theatre productions across Canada and the United States.

References

  1. ↑ "Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord". Kristina Wong. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ McPhee, Ryan (October 25, 2021). "Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, Inspired by Early Days of Coronavirus Pandemic, Begins Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  3. ↑ McPhee, Ryan (November 16, 2021). "Off-Broadway's Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord to Stream". Playbill. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord in the Press". La Jolla Playhouse.
  5. ↑ Collins-Hughes, Laura (November 4, 2021). "'Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord' Review: Our Sewing Superhero". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  6. ↑ McNulty, Charles (February 17, 2023). "Review: Kristina Wong assembled 'aunties' to sew masks. Her pandemic mission is now a must-see show". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.