I Enjoy Being a FLOWER DRUM SONG Fan

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Welcome to a new Musical Theatre Monday! This month, I’m paying tribute to Flower Drum Song (1958), a joyful Rodgers & Hammerstein musical that, because of limited revivals, has actually become lesser known in the decades since its debut. Why isn’t it more often performed? Well, with an all Chinese American cast, the show is difficult to stage for most high schools or community theaters, and increasing cultural concerns about jokes/depictions that might offend modern-day audiences have kept it out of the mainstream circuit — there’s only been one Broadway revival (in 2002), and it drastically rewrote the script to such an extent that a once well-crafted book musical in the sturdy R&H Golden Age tradition was no longer that.

Of course, I get it — a 1958 play written by white people about non-white people becomes a tougher sell to an increasingly non-white audience with every passing decade as social mores evolve alongside demographic changes. And although it was, for 1958, a typically sensitive Rodgers & Hammerstein show with a familiar message of community and mutual respect that would have been considered socially progressive for the time — and, as far as 1950s depictions of Asian Americans go, this is definitely kind, based on a book by a Chinese American author — its perspective is inherently more flattering to the Americanized characters than the Chinese, and that’s, frankly, a reversal of what we’d expect today of a show about cultural assimilation. In that regard, it’s fighting an uphill battle, and after the Civil Rights movement of the mid-1960s, it was always fated to become more rapidly, obviously “dated” (that is, to become a more specific reflection of the exact moment in time in which it was first produced).

And yet, if one is willing to make that leap in time — to accept that a 1958 play is written with 1958 sensibilities and for an audience of Americans from 1958, bracing for whatever that means — I think it not only may be less “dated” than you’d expect, it would also reveal itself to be a show rich in charm, with a nuanced score that reflects, sonically, the cultural distinctions between San Franciscans of Chinese descent and recently arrived Chinese immigrants — see: “I Enjoy Being A Girl” vs. “I Am Going To Like It Here” or “A Hundred Million Miracles” vs. “Chop Suey.” And more than that, with an all-Chinese cast, it’s a rare opportunity (still) for Chinese American actors to play a variety of different roles — from the assured Linda Low to the demure Mei Li — all of which actually aim to reflect, in some degree, specifics related to their communities. In fact, the original production made a Broadway star of Pat Suzuki (see above) — someone who should have had a better career but for a lack of roles elsewhere. These opportunities maintain value even today — it’s a venue for performers who have limited options — and this is certainly evident as well in the talent-filled 1961 film adaptation starring Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta, and Jack Soo — which keeps most of the songs, but tweaks their order in a way that I’m not sure is an improvement over the original Broadway rundown.

To that point, the simple fact is — this is an integrated book musical by the duo who had pioneered the form 15 years prior, so tinkering with its text, and these songs’ placement in the text, has never had much success, either in the 1961 film or that aforementioned 2002 revival, where the story was heavily altered. Accordingly, I maintain that the best version of Flower Drum Song, for what it is, is the 1958 original — and unfortunately, that’s not performed anymore. However, I have a treat — for subscribers who comment below to alert me of their private, non-commercial interest. It’s access to an untracked audio — along with the video from which it’s ripped — of a 2002 production by the Army Community Theatre from Honolulu that uses the original book (and may have been one of the last to do so). It’s not a Broadway-caliber performance, but it’s pretty good. And it’s your chance to understand what the original Flower Drum Song would have been like — and why, by the standards of 1958, it’s a charming show that deserves more attention. I’ll leave you with an excerpt from the audio, sung by the excellent Nicole Sullivan; the score’s biggest hit — the beautiful “Love, Look Away.”

 

 

Come back next month for another musical gem! And stay tuned soon for Parks And Rec!

30 thoughts on “I Enjoy Being a FLOWER DRUM SONG Fan”

  3. Regarding “Flower Drum Song”, I am only familiar with the 1961 film, and the 1957 book, by C. Y. Lee, which I read as an 8 year-old back in 1962, immediately after seeing this film for the first time. (I watch this film every time it is shown on my Cable system; it is one of my FAVORITE musicals!)….The points you raise in your review are “spot-on”, and I DO WISH that I could see a production of the original 1958 version, as this story was meant to be told. THANK YOU, Jackson, for an EXCELLENT review!!!!!

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  4. I love Flower Drum Song. Lucky to have seen the touring company in 1959 in San Francisco. You’re so right when you say leave the book and songs alone. R & H knew what they were doing! Would love to have the audio.

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  5. Jackson,
    Flower Drum song and I speak of the original 1958 version is my most favorite musical of all of the Rogers and Hammerstein musicals. I am very interested in hearing the version that you have. Hula hoops nuclear war Doctor Salk Zsa Zsa Gabor… I remember them all well and I still have a hula hoop!
    Best wishes
    Richard Hammer

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  8. Ooo Jackson! I grew up with this OBC and was 6 years old when my sister played Mei Li in a Catholic High School production. It is a big fave and would love to see that Honolulu production!!

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  9. I’d love to get access to the full production, please. We did FDS at my high school in Chicago in the 1980’s. It would never fly today, but I’ll always remember the excitement of the dragon coming down the isle in the parade number. The novel, “The Flower Drum Song” by Chinese-American author C. Y. Lee, is wonderful.

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  10. Hi Jackson
    There were many songs that came from “Flower Drum Song” that were popular at the time. I only saw the movie and not the play so will love to hear the audio of a version that I’d based on he original musical.

    Donna

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  11. Thank you so much for all you do.
    I agree with all that you have written about this show.
    It’s too bad we cannot look at these shows history and leave them as is.
    But I get it too.
    Thanks again.

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  12. I’ve always liked the ’61 movie but I would love to hear what the original Broadway version was like. Thanks for offering it!

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  13. Thanks for this astute analysis of Flower Drum Song. It’s impressive how it manages to be a solidly traditional musical comedy while also tackling complex issues of tradition versus assimilation and commodification of “exotic” identities. As you point out, the original production was also a groundbreaking moment in terms of representation for Asian characters AND performers. Most of the people who claim the show’s offensive have probably never actually read or seen it—they’re just parroting the latest received wisdom.

    Would love to hear the Honolulu production audio. It’d be fascinating to get to hear the original book in context. Thanks again!

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  14. I’d be interested in the Flower Drum Song performance. It would be strictly for my private, non-commercial interest.

    Reply

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