Film Chinois

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Film Chinois

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 3m

Damon Chua

"This first U.S. production of Singaporean playwright Damon Chua's work reveals an imaginative voice ... admirable." – Los Angeles Times

Image: 2015 Pan Asian Repertory Production (John Quincy Lee)

Film Chinois

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
WINNER - 2007 Ovation Award, Best World Premiere Play 

The place: Peking, China. The year: 1947, an uneasy time between WWII and the Communist takeover two years later. Randolph, a fresh-faced American operative, has been sent to the Raymond Chandler-esque Imperial City with an important mission. He makes progress, but soon chances into a staunch Maoist named Chinadoll, his would-be adversary and lover. A cat-and-mouse game ensues. As Randolph plunges deeper and deeper into the heart of darkness of what was once the most beautiful city in the world, he soon finds his life imperiled, even as he begins to unravel the mystery of a piece of old home-made film, and the whereabouts of a beautiful woman who seems to have vanished into thin air.
History
Film Chinois premiered at Grove Theater Center in Burbank, CA, in July of 2007 under the direction of Kevin Cochran. 
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups
CHINADOLL - Early thirties, a Maoist/communist spy. She is the Chinese equivalent of the classic femme fatale.
RANDOLPH - Early thirties, an American operative. Smart, cool and collected, but in many ways, an innocent abroad.
SIMONE - Twenties, a Chinese songstress with a few tricks up her sleeve. Willful, emotional and a little silly.
AMBASSADOR - Fifties or older, from Belgium. Seedy, amoral and dryly funny, he is a steadfast admirer of Asian women.
THE MAN, who plays:
WAITER (Scenes 1 & 13)
CHINESE BUSINESSMAN (Scenes 2 & 16)
SERVER (Scene 3)
CHINESE MAN (Scenes 7, 11 & 15)
HOTEL CLERK (Scene 14)
WOMAN (Scene 17)
  • Time Period 1940s / WWII
  • Setting Beijing, 1947
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol

Media

REVIEWS:

"This first U.S. production of Singaporean playwright Damon Chua's work reveals an imaginative voice ... admirable." – Los Angeles Times, Read More

RELATED ARTICLES ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Espionage & Intrigue: The Haunting Tale of FILM CHINOIS
By Ben Coleman
May 4, 2015

Photos

  • Film Chinois

    Image: 2015 Pan Asian Repertory Production (John Quincy Lee)

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  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Damon Chua

Damon Chua

A member of The Public Theater’s Emerging Writers Group 2014-15 and Ma-Yi Theater Company’s Writers Lab, Damon Chua is the recipient of an Ovation Award (Best World Premiere Play) for Film Chinois, which made its off-Broadway debut with Pan Asian Repertory Theatre. Other play ...

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