"I think you are something else, Harry Chin," says his ghost wife, Laura. Harry is more than she can ever grasp. Because of the American Chinese Exclusion Act, the young Leong Cheung Yu has become Harry Chin, a Paper Son, one who has purchased a new identity and history in order to deceive American customs agents into allowing him into the United States. He can never acknowledge the families he has left behind, neither his real parents nor the lives of his Chinese wife and daughter. This was, and is, the origin of countless Chinese in America today, who are the descendants of true Paper Sons.
Poor Harry (Jomar Tagatac). All he loves to do is cook. But his past ghosts keep appearing. Sometimes they throw a shoe into his wok, to the consternation of his boss (Michael Torres). Sometimes they remind him of Poet (Will Dao), his shipmate on the voyage over, who was unable to successfully memorize his fake identification and never made it past the internment, most likely on Angel Island. As Poet says, "Time flies when you're in a windowless box."
Author Jessica Huang throws out zingers, as well as giving us a window into immigration history that many have forgotten and some still choose to ignore today.
Act One gives us a surreal summary of Harry's past life, interspersed with the present, and Act Two becomes his chance for redemption. The ending is strong, as Laura (a ghostly Carrie Paff) says, "Lucky me."
Harry answers: "Lucky me too."
Special mention for the excellent set design by Christopher Fitzer. The two hour run time (one intermission) flies by seamlessly.
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★★★ BANGLE
The San Francisco Theater Blog Awards Division awards "The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin" THREE STARS WITH A BANGLE OF PRAISE.
The show and entire cast deserve the Three Stars and the Bangle is for the fabulous monologue at the beginning of Act Two by Michael Torres. When he says, Look at me! I was José. Now I'm John!," we can easily grasp what awaits our so-likeable Harry Chin.
"The Paper Dreams of Harry Chin"
San Francisco Playhouse
450 Post St. San Francisco
(2d Floor of Kensington Hotel)
Through June 18, 2022
$30-$50
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