Document Type
Introduction
Abstract
[First paragraph]
Long before I began thinking about the issues of regionalism and regional identity, I found myself concerned with the mechanics of and the possibilities inherent to representation, first on the stage and later in film. I well recall having seen Miss Saigon on Broadway and, in spite of a number of exceptional performances, walked away with one very real concern: I found the character of Tran Van Dinh, The Engineer, disconcerting. True to his profession as the owner of "Dreamland," he was clearly a sleazy hustler, but that was not my concern. This ethnicity, as half-Vietnamese and half-French, did not ring true. Regardless of the acclaim—Jonathan Pryce received the Laurence Olivier Award and Tony Award for the role—I could not identify with a Caucasian in the role. [1] Admittedly, I was having an issue on a fundamental level with representation. Were there no actors of mixed race who might perhaps have taken on the challenge?
Repository Citation
Wren, James A.. "Introduction: Six‐pack Twinks, Lipstick Dipsticks and Twice‐touched Teases: Queering the Stereotype in Asian Cinema." Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture vol. 16, no. 2, 2016, pp. 1–17. https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/reconstruction/vol16/iss2/1