Friday, October 06, 2006
Foothill Alum out in the world: Austin Ku
Austin, our Anthony Hope in Sweeney Todd, among other roles, is going to be featured in the Diablo Light Opera Company production of Thoroughly Modern Millie, which actually opens tonight and runs through Saturday November 4th.
Austin is playing Bun Foo, Foo, Chinese henchman #1 to the villanous Mrs. Meers.
If you haven't seen the revival version of Millie I must say they did something extremely clever with the roles of the Chinese henchman. In the original movie these roles are embarrassingly stereotypical, speak pidgin English and would be offensive in today's more aware, more conscious age.
Instead, in this version, they have the actors actually speak Chinese and use supertitles, sot hat the audience can know what's going on. I saw the version at AMT a year or two ago and thought it handily dealt with the issue...even more so than the revival of Annie Get Your Gun did with the Indian issue.
Anyway, it's a bit of a drive for those of us on this side of the bay, but if you can check Austin out!
Austin is playing Bun Foo, Foo, Chinese henchman #1 to the villanous Mrs. Meers.
If you haven't seen the revival version of Millie I must say they did something extremely clever with the roles of the Chinese henchman. In the original movie these roles are embarrassingly stereotypical, speak pidgin English and would be offensive in today's more aware, more conscious age.
Instead, in this version, they have the actors actually speak Chinese and use supertitles, sot hat the audience can know what's going on. I saw the version at AMT a year or two ago and thought it handily dealt with the issue...even more so than the revival of Annie Get Your Gun did with the Indian issue.
Anyway, it's a bit of a drive for those of us on this side of the bay, but if you can check Austin out!
// posted by ElisaC @ 6:46 PM 
