#asian-american-identity

#asian-american-identity

Both plays set out to examine the ugly ways that American capitalism has twisted itself up with the striving of characters of color - characters whose immediate roots stretch beyond the U.S. and whose ambitions within its borders have resulted in a malignant combination of rugged self-reliance and internalized self-hatred.

Tiger Style! - Profile Theater's first full production in a two-year dive into the work of playwright Mike Lew - is a canny choice, well-designed to whet audience members' appetite for Lew's work and keep them watching for the next offerings in a planned cycle. The play's quick comic timing deftly navigates themes that might otherwise encounter resistance, leaving those who are willing with lots to chew on.

Profile Theatre's Tiger Style is the best bargain to be found right now in Portland theater. You buy a ticket to a comedy and get-as a free bonus-a dazzling array of vignettes dissecting Asian American education, life, relationships, and myths. It's giving a side eye to corporate life, showing how families break up and make up, and offering biting examples of Communist Party of China (CPC) politics. Such a deal!