Too Old. Too Asian. Too Short. at Theatre West

Too Old. Too Asian. Too Short. is subtitled The Story of an Unlikely Showgirl, but that actually comes up later in Pamela K. Najeras absorbing story.Pamela, a Filipina, spends her early childhood in a home of wealth and privilege. Her father, a friend of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, holds a position as a Philippine government official. Her single dads reckless lifestyle will have consequences, eventually seeing her family emigrate to America. Shell bounce from west coast to east coast, living with a sister for a time. Now an adult, she has a job as a medical assistant while studying to be nurse (an acceptable profession for a young Philippine woman). After breaking up with a singer-songwriter who cruelly leaves her, she takes up dance as a means of coping (and, in her mind, exacting revenge). She becomes a stripper, then a magicians assistant, and at age 35, a dancer on cruise ships (this is the showgirl part). Most of the other dancers are very tall (Pamelas just five feet!), in their early twenties, and not Asian. Can Pamela possibly prevail in this situation? Will she ever be enough to win the approval of others in work or romance? Will she ever be enough to please herself?Written and performed by Pamela K. Najera. Directed and developed by Jessica Lynn Johnson. Special appearance by Magic Castle magician Alexander Great.
Ages: 18 to Adult.