←Recommendations of BIRD'S NEST SOUP

A piercing, riveting story of hope, ambition, disappointment, betrayal, fear and the involuntary changes all of that leaves in its wake. Your heart will break, then soar, then break again in this deeply felt story that wields real power from its unsentimental telling. The final line of NO JOY, NO LUCK will rip your heart out. And just to say it: Amy Tan was wrong. This work is exceptional.

I was intrigued from the very beginning: the Lim family joyfully celebrates newly-gained American citizenship, a success promising so much happiness you know it can’t last. The environment/characters are highly specific, but the theme's universal: how do we fight to be what we want when that means defying cultural norms. I believed totally in the characters and the smart dialog is both funny and poignant. This is an ideal play for a company looking to explore family relationships and how the American dream can conflict with a father’s expectations developed well before his arrival in the US.

I am dazzled by Lucy Wang's amazing ability to drop her audience to the floor laughing with her LIM family's constant sparring, even as the tragedy and horror of sudden domestic violence rages with a line or two of the comedy. Another thrill occurs with Wang's ability to levitate lightning fast multiple conversation threads in the air, weaving heartbreak, hilarity, and an unvarnished view of an Asian family deftly assimilating to American hegemony, even as it dramatizes the intense love and equally devastating pain felt within.

I was blown away by this play. Lucy Wang's expert craft in bringing this Chinese-American family to life brought me to laughter and tears many times, with a few gasps thrown in in for good measure. You can see why it has won so many awards and development opportunities. Playwright Wang writes from a place of deep knowingness and honesty and the authenticity jumps off the page and into our soup bowls. I felt for all these characters, but particularly Julie and Mark. BIRD'S NEST SOUP is a delicacy to be savored repeatedly.