Golden Child [Paperback]

David Henry Hwang (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1559361581 | ISBN-13: 978-1559361583 | Publication Date: November 1, 1998 | Edition: 1st

New Broadway drama by the author of the critically-acclaimed M. Butterfly.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Henry Hwang is the author of "M. Butterfly" (1988 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle awards; Pulitzer Prize finalist), "Golden Child" (1998 Tony nomination; 1997 Obie Award), "FOB" (1981 Obie Award), "The Dance and the Railroad" (1982 Drama Desk nomination), "Family Devotions" (1982 Drama Desk nomination), "Sound and Beauty", "Bondage" and "Flower Drum Song" (2002 revival; Tony nomination).

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group; 1st edition (November 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559361581
• ISBN-13: 978-1559361583
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #133,270 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Henry Hwang is a playwright, screenwriter and librettist for musicals and operas. He is a Tony Award winner and three-time nominee, a three-time Obie Award winner, and a two-time Nominated Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. His works include the plays M. BUTTERFLY, GOLDEN CHILD, YELLOW FACE, THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD and FOB; the Broadway musicals Elton John & Tim Rice's AIDA (co-author), the revised FLOWER DRUM SONG and DISNEY'S TARZAN; and the operas THE VOYAGE (music by Philip Glass), AINADAMAR (Osvaldo Golijov - winner of two 2007 Grammy Awards), THE SILVER RIVER (Bright Sheng) and ALICE IN WONDERLAND (Unsuk Chin). His first play, FOB, premiered in his lounge of his dormitory at Stanford University. Hwang serves on the Council of the Dramatists Guild and was appointed by President Clinton to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife, actress Kathryn Layng, and their children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A highly underrated masterpiece, January 4, 2000

By 

David Dressler (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Golden Child (Paperback)

I will never understand why this play tanked in New York. It is a simple, elegant tale about assimilation and familial dysfunction. David Henry Hwang is a masterful writer, and this is some of his best work. The only weakness is its ending, which falls a little flat as a character (who is clearly the author) explains the entire point, as if the audience missed it. Although this (like most of his work) is about Chinese, it should be read by people of all walks of life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars East meets West onstage, October 23, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Golden Child (Paperback)

If you liked the segments of the film "The Joy Luck Club" which took place in China, you'll love David Henry Hwang's play "Golden Child." Although Hwang is probably better known for his play "M. Butterfly," "Golden Child" is a remarkable piece of writing which deserves attention. According to the production history included in the book version, an early version of "Golden Child" premiered in 1996, and a later version was presented at Broadway's Longacre Theatre in 1998. But "Golden Child" is also one of those plays which succeeds purely as a readers' text.

"Golden Child" opens with Andrew, a Westernized man of Chinese heritage, who is visited by the ghost of his Chinese-born mother. This brief prologue leads to the story of his mother's girlhood in China. We meet Andrews's grandfather, Tieng-Bin; Tieng-Bin's three wives; and the Western clergyman who seeks to convert them to Christianity.

"Golden Child" is a thought-provoking exploration of family life and cross-cultural contact. There is both humor and tragedy in the dialogue. The story addresses such topics as polygamy, foot-binding, ancestor worship, and opium use in traditional Chinese culture. Hwang's ironic portrayal of the politics of "conversion" may be a revelation to those Western Christians who harbor romantic, idealistic notions about bringing the "light" to non-European peoples. I was very impressed with Hwang's writing, and I highly recommend "Golden Child."

5.0 out of 5 stars Virtually Flawless, August 5, 2004

By 

Jaydekitten (Detroit, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Golden Child (Paperback)

I don't normally read plays. I always feel as if I will be missing something by reading the script rather than seeing it performed. After reading David Henry Hwang's "Golden Child", however, I am hoping that I will one have the opportunity to see this play in person.

Hwang mentions in the introduction that "Golden Child" underwent several rewrites until the final draft was completed. The end product, to me, is utterly flawless. A perfect mesh of comedy and tragedy unfolds as Hwang confronts the effects a man's conversion to Christianity has in early 20th century China.

A very captivating read, I highly recommend David Henry Hwang's "Golden Child".