B.D. Wong (#221) - September, 2008
from ATW - Downstage Center Hosted by American Theatre Wing and XM Satellite Radio
Tony-winner B.D. Wong (for Best Actor in a Featured Role for 1988’s M. Butterfly) talks about his ongoing fascination with the 11-character, one-actor musical Herringbone, from seeing the original production in 1981 through appearing in it for the third time, currently at New Jersey's McCarter Theater Center. He also recalls his earliest appearances on stage in high school musicals in San Francisco; his brief matriculation in college and how he forged a career without standard academic credentials; the personal and professional impact of landing the role of Song Liling in David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly -- including how that famous story of identity led him to drop his own first name in favor of his initials and the problems it created when he sought subsequent roles; the travails of being brought in to play a role based on himself in Hwang's troubled Face Value -- and how he felt about being portrayed in the more recent Yellowface; the joy of being part of the ensemble of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown; and his youthful connection to Pacific Overtures, and how it came full circle when he appeared in the Broadway revival.
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