When her obsequious father, Larry Yee (Francis Jue) vanishes mysteriously, playwright Lauren Yee (Stephenie Soohyun Park) is pulled away from mounting her production to go in search of him. But the second generation Chinese who plans on doing everything that will break her father’s heart (moving away to Berlin, not to have kids…) and refuses to embrace her culture (because she’d rather not do something than do it “incorrect”) finds herself unprepared for the task.  To rescue her father, Lauren will have to navigate not only through the maze of a crumbling Chinatown, but also the culture she has turned her back on.

Lauren Yee’s autobiographical play resonates with all immigrants who struggle to balance acclimation with cultural identity. The 2-hour show is incisive yet laugh-out-loud funny and manages to meld mythology, history, politics, relationships (and even a little disco!) with aplomb. The winsome, incredibly versatile cast keeps the show moving at a swift and unrelentingly funny pace with Rammel Chan and Angela Lin providing some unforgettably hilarious moments. The set design is sparse but packs some nifty special effects.

We give this show a big, resounding “yees!”

— Ghalib Dhalla 

King of the Yees with Rammel Chan, Stephanie Soohyun Park, Francis Jue, Angela Lin and Daniel Smith is playing at the Kirk Douglas Theatre through August 6th.  Get your tickets here.