Review: Huntington Theatre Company Extends New Comedy TIGER STYLE!

Tiger Style!

Written by Mike Lew, Directed by Moritz von Stuelpnagel; Scenic Design, Wilson Chin; Costume Design, Junghyun Georgia Lee; Lighting Design, Matthew Richards; Sound Design & Original Music, Palmer Hefferan; Projection Design, Alex Koch; Production Stage Manager, Meg Tracy Leddy; Stage Manager, Jeremiah Mullane

CAST (In order of appearance): Jon Norman Schneider, Francis Jue, Bryan T. Donovan, Ruibo Qian, Emily Kuroda

Performances extended through November 20 by Huntington Theatre Company at Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 526 Tremont Street, Boston, MA; Box Office 617-266-0800 or www.huntingtontheatre.org

Chances are that most of us knew someone in high school or college who was really, really smart, virtually on another plane of intelligence and achievement even when compared with other high achievers. Their superior aptitude, nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic, talent in some extracurricular activity like music or art, and highly-involved parents was not unique to them. What set them apart was their utter cluelessness and personal discomfort in the social arena. For all of their intellect, figuring out how to be convivial and play the game of life was a Rubik's Cube that they couldn't solve. Sadly, success in academia is not always transferable to personal or professional success upon leaving the halls of ivy.

Playwright Mike Lew explores this phenomenon in his new comedy Tiger Style! at the Huntington Theatre Company. Extended by popular demand, the laughs come fast and furiously as siblings Albert (Jon Norman Schneider) and Jennifer Chen (Ruibo Qian) struggle to figure out who they can blame for their recent failures as adults. Both were stellar students and are Harvard graduates, but he gets passed over for promotion by his manager at the software company in favor of a lazy hail-fellow-well-met, and she gets dumped by her loser boyfriend (Bryan T. Donovan) who is bored by her physician's perfectionism and the absence of fun in their relationship. The whiny siblings decide it must the fault of their "tiger style" parents and confront them at a contentious family dinner.

Not surprisingly, their parents (Francis Jue, Emily Kuroda) refuse to accept the blame and basically tell the kids to suck it up. Subsequently, Albert and Jennifer launch what they label an Asian Freedom Tour in an attempt to shed the cultural stereotypes they wear uncomfortably. The journey takes them through a "full Western" phase, embracing the California tropes they see around them, before embarking on a mission to China to go "full Eastern." Talk about being strangers in a strange land! These ugly Americans learn that they never really had it so bad back home and figuratively click their heels together to reboot.

Despite their characters being whiny, Schneider and Qian are both very appealing and natural in their roles, and they share great chemistry. He is typical of the smart guy, small in stature, who is at the mercy of a big dullard who likes to give noogies. Schneider's facial expressions and rants are often just shy of hysteria, and they convey Albert's extreme frustration. Jennifer's type A persona comes across loud and clear in Qian's portrayal, most humorously when she visits a therapist and inundates her with lists ("I want to be the best at therapy") of her issues. Each of the other three actors in the cast play multiple roles. Donovan's husky frame helps to shape his interpretation of Russ the Bus, the lazy co-worker, as well as Reggie, the loser boyfriend, and a brusque customs agent. In addition to playing the no-nonsense mother, Kuroda is a hoot as a helpful cousin in China and Jennifer's long-suffering therapist. Jue is a standout as an older Chinese man who befriends the siblings, as Albert's snooty boss, and as the father.

Boston University alumnus (BFA, 2000) and Tony Award nominee (Hand to God) Moritz von Stuelpnagel is a long-time collaborator with Lew and directs Tiger Style! with flair. He knows where the laughs are and leads his cast to every one of them. However, he also brings out the emotions that are tied into the serious side of the play, dealing with generational differences, cultural stereotypes, and race in America. Scenic designer Wilson Chin meets the challenge of illustrating multiple locations, aided by projections by Alex Koch, and lighting by Matthew Richards. Junghyun Georgia Lee is the costume designer, with sound design and original music provided by Palmer Hefferan.

Photo credit: T. Charles Erickson (Ruibo Qian, Jon Norman Schneider)

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