NYT: ‘Flower Drum Song,’ Once Overhauled, Returns Changed Again

[MezzA101]

Posted: 4/28/26 at 7:04am

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/28/theater/flower-drum-song-david-henry-hwang.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eVA.PJUj.dPcMunWnHOAH&smid=nytcore-android-share

[Owen22]

Posted: 4/28/26 at 8:27am

I always resent a brand new book applied to existing Golden Age musicals. And Hwang's new Flower Drum Song is the worst representation of that. Not that the original is fantastic. It is obviously racially insensitive; Hammerstein took a fairly dramatic, realistic novel and turned it into a musical comedy. But Hwang didn't even use the novel's structure or plot, he created a new one out of whole cloth that isn't very good. I much prefer the original, cultural insensitivity and all!

[joevitus]

Posted: 4/28/26 at 9:40am

I mean, Hammerstein clearly wasn't  a racist, even though his outlook is dated. There was no intent to offend or treat Asians callously; he probably looked at the show's viewpoint as progressive. I think it's clearly a museum piece, which I would not say of Rogers and Hammerstein's work, overall. But if there isn't much an audience today who can appreciate it for what it was, I think there's even less of an audience for what it's trying to be.