Lia Chang Photos: Partying with the Cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child; Extended Run Ends December 16, 2012

The cast of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child at their opening night curtain call in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Signature Theatre’s revival of Tony award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, directed by Leigh Silverman, currently playing in The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York, ends its extended run on Sunday, December 16, 2012.

Director Leigh Silverman and David Henry Hwang after the opening night performance of Golden Child at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Inspired by his own family history, David Henry Hwang’s 1997 Obie Award-winning and 1998 Tony nominated Golden Child explores the often-painful process through which change comes to people and cultures.

Golden Child, the first show in Signature Theatre’s Residency One: David Henry Hwang Series began previews on October 23 and opened on November 13. This production will be followed by a new production of his play The Dance and the Railroad, directed by May Adrales, and the new play KUNG FU, directed by Leigh Silverman.

Golden Child opening night with Matthew Maher, director Leigh Silverman, Julyana Soelistyo, playwright David Henry Hwang, Lesley Hu, Greg Watanabe, Annie Q. and Jennifer Lim at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Jennifer Lim and Julyana Soelistyo after the opening night performance of Golden Child at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Greg Watanabe (MyNetworkTV’s “Watch Over Me,” The Ballad of Yachiyo, Extraordinary Chambers) leads the cast as Eng Tieng Bin, a Chinese businessman, who after three years working abroad, returns home and sets off a dangerous power struggle in his polygamous Chinese household. Julyana Soelistyo, who received a Tony award nomination for her magical turn as Eng Ahn and the daughter in the original Broadway cast of Golden Child, plays first wife Eng Siu-Young, Jennifer Lim of Broadway’s Chinglish plays second wife Eng Luan, and Lesley Hu makes her off-Broadway debut as third wife Eng Eling. Also featured in the cast are Annie Q (”Are We There Yet?”) as Eng Ahn / daughter, Matthew Maher (CSC’s The School for Lies) as Reverend Baines, Tina Chilip (Leviathan Lab’s Twelfth Night) as Servant / Ghost, Nadia Gan (Mirror Rep’s The Shanghai Gesture) as Servant / Ghost.

Golden Child castmembers Lesley Hu, Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo, Annie Q. and Jennifer Lim after their opening night performance at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

Founding artistic director James Houghton and playwright David Henry Hwang celebrate after the opening night performance of Golden Child at the Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Lia Chang

This year, David Henry Hwang was awarded the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award which comes with a $200,000 prize. Hwang’s plays include Bondage, Chinglish (2012 Drama Desk Award nomination), The Dance and the Railroad (1982 Drama Desk Award nomination), Family Devotions (1982 Drama Desk Award nomination), FOB (1981 Obie Award), Golden Child (1997 Obie Award, 1998 Tony Award nomination), M. Butterfly (1988 Tony Award, 1989 Pulitzer Prize finalist), and Yellow Face (2008 Obie Award, 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalist). He also wrote the libretti for three Broadway musicals: Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida (co-author), Disney’s Tarzan, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song (revival, 2002 Tony Award nomination). In opera, his libretti include four works with composer Philip Glass – 1000 Airplanes on the Roof, Icarus at the Edge of Time, Sound and Beauty, and The Voyage – as well as Howard Shore’s The Fly, Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar (two 2007 Grammy Awards), and Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland (Opernwelt 2007 World Premiere of the Year). Hwang penned the feature films Golden Gate, M. Butterfly, and Possession (co-author), and co-wrote the song “Solo” with Prince. He sits on the Council of the Dramatists Guild, and served on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities by appointment of President Clinton.

Tickets are $75 during the extension week.To purchase tickets for all Signature Productions, call the Signature Theatre Box Office (212-244-7529) or visit signaturetheatre.org.

Golden Child playwright David Henry Hwang with his sister Grace Hwang. Photo by Lia Chang

Lois Smith. Photo by Lia Chang

Founding artistic director James Houghton and playwright Edward Albee. Photo by Lia Chang

BD Wong. Photo by Lia Chang

Bill Heck and his wife Maggie Lacey. Photo by Lia Chang

Playwright Will Eno (Title and Deed) and Tony-nominated actress Maria Dizzia. Photo by Lia Chang

Actress Rebecca Henderson and playwright Annie Baker. Photo by Lia Chang

Colman Domingo. Photo by Lia Chang

Greg Watanabe. Photo by Lia Chang

Greg Watanabe. Photo by Lia Chang

The Piano Lesson leading man Brandon Dirden and his wife Crystal Dickinson (Photo by Lia Chang

Julyana Soelistyo. Photo by Lia Chang

Julyana Soelistyo. Photo by Lia Chang

Jennifer Lim. Photo by Lia Chang

Tina Chilip. Photo by Lia Chang

Annie Q. Photo by Lia Chang

Emotional Creature’s Olivia Oguma and Paolo Montalban. Photo by Lia Chang

Gary Wilmes and Ari Fliakos. Photo by Lia Chang

Jennifer Lim and Will Cantler. Photo by Lia Chang

Paolo Montalban and Greg Watanabe. Photo by Lia Chang

Kathryn Layng and her husband playwright David Henry Hwang. Photo by Lia chang

Grace Hwang, Kathryn Layng, David Henry Hwang and guests. Photo by Lia Chang

The Piano Lesson leading man Brandon Dirden, Golden Child playwright David Henry Hwang and Crystal Dickinson Photo by Lia Chang

The Piano Lesson leading man Brandon Dirden, Signature’s founding artistic director James Houghton and Crystal Dickinson (Photo by Lia Chang)

Jennifer Lim and Gary Wilmes. Photo by Lia Chang

Golden Child star Greg Watanabe and playwright David Henry Hwang Photo by Lia Chang

James A. Williams. Photo by Lia Chang

Lia Chang, playwright David Henry Hwang and his wife Kathryn Layng at the opening night party for Signature’s revival of Golden Child at The Pershing Square Signature Center in New York on November 13, 2012. Photo by Grace Hwang

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

Articles by Lia Chang:
Signature Theatre’s Production of Golden Child by David Henry Hwang has been extended through December 16, 2012
Greg Watanabe, Julyana Soelistyo and Jennifer Lim Lead the Cast of Signature Theatre’s Production of David Henry Hwang’s Golden Child, October 23-December 2, 2012
David Henry Hwang to Receive the 2012 Steinberg Distinguished Playwright Award at the 5th Annual Steinberg Playwright “Mimi” Awards on October 29, 2012
Berkeley Rep’s Production Photos of David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, Starring Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge, Extends through October 21, 2012
Photos: David Henry Hwang, Oskar Eustis, BD Wong, Brian d’Arcy James, Francis Jue, Jennifer Lim and Leigh Silverman at WNYC’s The Greene Space
Click here for other articles on David Henry Hwang.
Photos: Opening Night with Hold These Truths’ Playwright Jeanne Sakata and Star Joel de la Fuente, a Revelation as Gordon Hirabayashi; Performances Extended through November 25, 2012
Harlem Nights with Lorey Hayes, Actress, Director and Award-Winning Playwright of Power Play and Massinissa
Playing Lady Thiang in the Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I is a dream come true for Christine Toy Johnson
Photos: Q & A with Mel Sagrado Maghuyop, The King in Harbor Lights’ Production of The King and I
Manu Narayan Dazzles as Richard Roma in La Jolla Playhouse’s Revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross
Mu Performing Arts’ Artistic Director Rick Shiomi takes home Ivey Award for Lifetime Achievement
Signature Theatre’s World Premiere of Sam Shepard’s Heartless Starring Lois Smith, Gary Cole, Jenny Bacon, Betty Gilpin, and Julianne Nicholson Extends through September 30, 2012
Raul Aranas, Kate Baldwin, Brian d’Arcy James, P.J. Griffith, Bobby Steggert and Michele Pawk Set for New York Premiere of GIANT at The Public Theater, October 26-December 2, 2012
Photos: All-Access Pass to Disney’s Aladdin at The Muny with Thom Sesma, Francis Jue, Robin De Jesus, John Tartaglia, Jason Graae, Curtis Holbrook, Eddie Korbich, Samantha Massell and Ken Page
Performing Arts Images from the Asian American Pacific Islander Collection on Display at the Library of Congress to Celebrate APA Heritage Month
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.
All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2012 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at liachangpr@gmail.com

Lia Chang: A night out with Gordana Rashovich, Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore

Gordana Rashovich Photo by Lia Chang

“I love Tennessee Williams’ women, because they are giants with tremendous appetites for life,” shared Obie-award winning actress Gordana Rashovich, as she dined on a dish of fried calamari and sipped a glass of Lillet at Un Deux Trois with cast mates, after her Wednesday night performance as Flora Goforth, in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, by Tennessee Williams, at the Laura Pels Theatre, at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre.

Delighted to be working with director Michael Wilson again, who directed her as Lady Torrance in Orpheus Descending at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Ms. Rashovich can be seen as Flora on Wednesday, March 9th, March 16th, March 23rd and March 30th at 7:30pm.

Williams’ haunting drama takes place in Flora’s picturesque Italian mountaintop home, where the wealthy American widow, in denial over her impending demise, has sequestered herself from the world in order to write her memoirs. When Christopher Flanders (Darren Pettie), a handsome and mysterious young poet arrives without warning to keep Flora company in her final hours, this dreamlike play blossoms into a fascinating meditation on life and death.

Gordana Rashovich Photo by Lia Chang

Ms. Rashovich appeared in the Broadway productions of Old Acquaintance, Cymbeline and Conversations with my Father. She received a Drama Desk nomination and Obie Award for playing Luisa, a Holocaust survivor in A Shayna Maidel (Westside Arts Theatre), a role she also played to acclaim in Los Angeles, where she garnered the L.A. Drama Critics Award and the Drama Logue/LA Weekly Award. Her New York stage debut in Fefu and Her Friends (American Place Theater), resulted in a Theatre World Award. Other Off-Broadway credits include: The Crucible (Roundabout Theatre Company), Not I (EST), Mr. Melancholy (NY Stage and Film) and The Persians (National Actors Theatre/The Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University). Her regional credits include: Maria Callas in Master Class (Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company DCTC, Arizona Theatre Co.); Madame Ljubov Ranevsky in The Cherry Orchard and Miss Van Huysen in The Matchmaker (Drama Logue) (ACT), Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest , Lady Torrance in Orpheus Descending (Alley Theatre); Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire (Players Theatre of Columbus); Queen Elizabeth in Richard III, Emilia in Othello, Marie in WOYZECK, Irene Livingston in Light Up The Sky, Morocco (Hartford Stage); Olivia in Twelfth Night (Guthrie Theatre); Mrs. Meany in A Prayer for Owen Meaney; Regina in The Little Foxes, Esme in Amy’s View, Kate in Cripple of Inishmann, Gertrude in Hamlet, Yelena in Uncle Vanya (Denver Center Theatre Company DCTC); and Miss Holroyd in Bell, Book & Candle, Dr. Wu/Sir. Lionel in Shanghai Moon, Sally Cato/Agnes Gooch in Auntie Mame, both opposite Charles Busch (Bay Street Theatre).

Co-starring in “Shanghai Moon” are, from left, Thom Sesma, the playwright Charles Busch, Gordana Rashovich and Jodi Lin. Photo by Lia Chang

Television audiences will be familiar with Ms. Rashovich from her recurring roles as Dr. Greta Gutman on “Mad Men,” Jadwiga on “Whoopi,” The Madame on “The Wire”, Judge Lillian Alverio on “Law & Order Trial by Jury, ” and for her guest starring appearances on “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Trials of Rosie O’Neill,”, “Gracie and Glorie,” “Law and Order,” and “Third Watch.” Her film credits include Doug Bollinger's Waltzing Anna, Adrienne Shelly’s Sudden Manhattan, Kenneth Brannagh’s Dead Again and Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate. Ms. Rashovich is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, a recipient of the Derek Ware Prize, for stage swordplay w/Shakespeare text and a Vanbrugh Theatre Award.
http://www.gordanarashovich.com.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Catch Gordana Rashovich as Flora Goforth in The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore at the Laura Pels Theatre, at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, on Wednesday, March 9, March 16, March 23 and March 30 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available by calling Roundabout Ticket Services at (212)719-1300, online at www.roundabouttheatre.org or at the Laura Pels Box Office (111 West 46th St.). $22 rush tickets are available on the day of performance.

Other Articles by Lia Chang
Photos: Yellow Fever Playwright Rick Shiomi Explores New Territory with An All-Female Cast
Photos: Working Theater’s Production of Rob Ackerman’s CALL ME WALDO at Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex through March 11, 2012
Photos: Larry Bryggman, Denise Burse, Peter Jay Fernandez, Tim Hopper, Arliss Howard, Kobi Libii, Mary McCann, Neil Pepe, David Pittu, Steve Rosen, Sheila Tapia, Debra Winger at Atlantic Theatre’s Opening Night of Gabe McKinley’s CQ/CX
Athol Fugard’s Blood Knot, starring Colman Domingo & Scott Shepherd in The Alice Griffith Jewel Box at The Pershing Square Signature Center through March 11, 2012
Linsanity: Sport Illustrated Cover Guy New York Knicks Starting Point Guard Jeremy Lin
Broadwayworld.com Photo Flash: Library of Congress’ IN REHEARSAL Exhibit
Up Close and Personal with Darren Pettie, Star of The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore
Jarlath Conroy Leads Cast of Pinter’s The Homecoming at CENTERSTAGE in Baltimore
Jarlath Conroy in The SEAGULL
Juicy Buns at Ollie’s
The Dish on Susur Lee and Shang
Click here for the Lia Chang Articles Archive and here for the Lia Chang Photography Website.

Lia Chang. Photo by Brianne Michelle Photography

Lia Chang is an actor, a performance and fine art botanical photographer, and an award-winning multi-platform journalist.

All text, graphics, articles & photographs: © 2000-2011 Lia Chang Multimedia. All rights reserved. All materials contained on this site are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Lia Chang. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content. For permission, please contact Lia at lia@backstagepasswithliachang.com.