Flower drum song

Nicole A. Hatzidakis-Macdonald

A&E Editor

“To create something new, we must first love what is old,” Mei-li proclaims in the 2002 production of “Flower Drum Song,” which visited Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre in fall 2003.

This single statement encompasses the reason behind revitalizing this love story, which was created by Rodgers and Hammerstein and first performed on Broadway in the early 1960s.

David Hwang, director of the latest stage run, recalled that he first experienced “Flower Drum Song” as a teenager in the 1960s on a late-night television show, and he remembers that even then he felt it was a “guilty pleasure.”

The program that Hwang saw was Henry Koster’s 1958 film version based on C.Y. Lee’s 1957 novel. The novel was one of the first Chinese-American novels to be released by a major publishing house, and it was the first such novel to become a bestseller.

Lee, a young Chinese-American writer, lived above a Filipino nightclub in San Francisco’s Chinatown, which inspired the setting of his story. The original story of “Flower Drum Song” revolves around tradition, reality and cultural conflict; universal themes that have kept the plot fresh through every re-creation.

The plot involves a young Chinese-American man named Ta and a young Chinese woman named Mei-Li, who works in the traditional Chinese nightclub owned by Ta’s father in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Madame Liang, a hip business manager, talks Ta into letting her manage the night club with her fast-talking sales pitch on how she can make the club “the next big thing” to hit Chinatown. Madame Liang recruits a beautiful young starlet, Linda Low, to be the club’s main attraction, which in turn helps make the club a success.

Linda is instantly turned into Chinatown’s newest superstar and in the process catches young Ta’s eye and heart.

As the nightclub is swept into the Hollywood scene, Wang, Ta’s father, feels helpless as his hard work to keep the club a conservative, traditional Chinese establishment is pushed aside and it becomes a showcase of flashy Americanism.

On the other hand, Mei-Li and Ta begin to share a special bond as they learn more about each other and the connections they share. With every encounter, their relationship grows. However, Ta is torn between Linda and Mei-Li. Viewers are drawn into this love triangle presented through songs like “A Hundred Million Miracles,” “I Enjoy Being a Girl,” “Grant Avenue,” “Chop Suey” and “Love Look Away.”

It is great to relive the same feeling David Hwang and so many others felt more than 40 years ago as they watched “Flower Drum Song” for the first time.

The 1958 movie is available for rent at many video stores or for purchase on websites such as Amazon.com.