The Dance and the Railroad

Playwright: David Henry Hwang
Venue: Signature Theater
Starring: STARRING: William Yuekun Wu and Ruy Iskandar
Credits: SETS: Mimi Lien; COSTUME: Jennifer Moeller; LIGHTS: Jiyoun Chang; SOUND: Broken Chord Collective
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Reviews


May Adrales’s elegant, spare, beautifully visualized production gives Hwang’s cunningly economical play a poetic feel, without scanting its underlying anguish. Both actors do well; their silences do a lot of the talking. Wu’s intense impassivity as he rehearses his stylized motions is particularly riveting.”

The Village Voice


A graceful, extended climax (sensitively directed by May Adrales), in which the men collaborate on an “opera” of Ma’s terrible journey to the West, deepens the piece immeasurably.

Time Out New York


May Adrales intelligently directs, emphasizing the themes of ethnic isolation and the struggling emergence of Asian-American identity. If the first production of Dance and the Railroad brought attention to Hwang as an original voice in American theater, this revival points up how much he has increased our consciousness of Asian Americans and their not-so-easy assimilation into American culture.

Curtain Up


Director May Adrales’ staging fully mines the play’s emotional richness. Performing on Mimi Lien’s abstract set featuring large sculptural formations gorgeously lit by Jiyoun Chang, the actors deliver stirring turns, while Huang Ruo’s Eastern-inflected score strikes all the right notes.

New York Post


Director May Adrales’ staging fully mines the play’s emotional richness. Performing on Mimi Lien’s abstract set featuring large sculptural formations gorgeously lit by Jiyoun Chang, the actors deliver stirring turns, while Huang Ruo’s Eastern-inflected score strikes all the right notes.

Backstage


Director May Adrales’ staging fully mines the play’s emotional richness. Performing on Mimi Lien’s abstract set featuring large sculptural formations gorgeously lit by Jiyoun Chang, the actors deliver stirring turns, while Huang Ruo’s Eastern-inflected score strikes all the right notes.

Theater Mania


Director May Adrales’ staging fully mines the play’s emotional richness. Performing on Mimi Lien’s abstract set featuring large sculptural formations gorgeously lit by Jiyoun Chang, the actors deliver stirring turns, while Huang Ruo’s Eastern-inflected score strikes all the right notes.

Entertainment Weekly


Director May Adrales’ staging fully mines the play’s emotional richness. Performing on Mimi Lien’s abstract set featuring large sculptural formations gorgeously lit by Jiyoun Chang, the actors deliver stirring turns, while Huang Ruo’s Eastern-inflected score strikes all the right notes.

The Art Fuse