MR. YUNIOSHI
Written, Directed & Performed by
J. Elijah Cho as Mickey Rooney
Sunday, December 15, at 7 pm
Award-Winning One-Man Show Explores the Controversy of ‘Yellowface’ Casting
(Delray Beach, FL – November 20, 2024) Marjorie Waldo, President & CEO of Arts Garage, today confirmed that the nonprofit organization is presenting an award-winning, one-man show exploring the controversial, cringe-worthy subject of “yellowface” casting – which is also the topic and title of one of the hottest shows now running on Broadway. It is the term used to describe when white actors are cast in Asian roles and is comparable to the much-maligned minstrelsy of yesteryear.
“Perhaps one of the most egregious examples of yellowface casting is the role Mickey Rooney played in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s and that is the subject of this fascinating, thought-provoking production coming to Arts Garage,” says Waldo.
December 15 (Sunday) at 7 pm
MR. YUNIOSHI
Written, Directed and Performed by
J. Elijah Cho as Mickey Rooney
I. Y. Yunioshi is the fictional role played by Mickey Rooney in Blake Edwards’s 1961 comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which was adapted from the 1958 novella by Truman Capote—a Japanese character The New York Times described as “bucktoothed, myopic (and) broadly exotic.” This insulting characterization raises a lot of questions:
+ Should actors really have the opportunity to play any role?
+ Could there ever have been a “right” way for Rooney to play it?
+ And what compels an actor to play a character that they probably shouldn’t be playing?
Asian-American writer/performer J. Elijah Cho attempts to explore these topics and more in this production, which received the award for Best Solo Show at the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival. The writer/actor from Los Angeles and Florida, previously appeared as Wonderboy in two seasons of the AMC series Halt & Catch Fire and has performed with such respected theatre companies as Jobsite, Stageworks, Hat Trick, and Tampa Rep.
Tickets: $30
How to Purchase Tickets:
Tickets for MR. YUNIOSHI are available by calling Arts Garage at 561.450.6357 or by going online to www.ArtsGarage.org.
About Arts Garage:
Arts Garage delivers innovative, diverse, meaningful, and accessible visual and performing arts experiences to Delray Beach and South Florida. “Connecting our community to the world through the Arts”—this vision drives all decision-making at Arts Garage, which brings local, emerging artists and established global performers into the local multi-cultural community (students and adults, locals and tourists, people of all ages, income levels, backgrounds) who share a love of the arts.
Diversity is a hallmark of Arts Garage, which provides multicultural programming that promotes inclusion in the arts. #DiscoverDiversity isn’t just a tagline—it is the cornerstone of our outreach programs, staffing, and marketing. Arts Garage is located at 94 NE 2nd Avenue in Delray Beach’s popular Pineapple Grove (33444). For more information, please call 561.450.6357 or visit www.artsgarage.org.