MAY 28 - JUNE 21, 2026
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
Flower Drum Song
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by David Henry Hwang
Based on the original book by
Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields
Based on the novel by C.Y. Lee
Directed by Lily Tung Crystal
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
Flower Drum Song
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by David Henry Hwang
Based on the original book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields
Based on the novel by C.Y. Lee
Directed by Lily Tung Crystal
Presented at the David Henry Hwang Theater
May 28 - June 21, 2026
Opening Night May 31, 2025
The enchanting golden era musical Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song, directed by EWP’s Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal, will serve as the grand finale for EWP’s Diamond Legacy season.
This captivating tale will receive a newly updated book for 2026 by the Tony Award-winning playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and EWP theater namesake David Henry Hwang. At a time when conversations about identity and cultural preservation are more important than ever, Hwang’s reworking of the book for the Spring 2026 production allows Asian Americans to reclaim this cherished story in a meaningful way, illuminating the complexities and richness of the community’s continuous evolution.
Flower Drum Song pulls back the curtain on themes of assimilation and tradition in 1950’s San Francisco Chinatown as Mei-li, a young Chinese opera artist fleeing communism, arrives in America, where she is immediately drawn into the dazzling world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs.
“My history with East West Players started when I was 10 years old. My mother was the pianist for one of their first productions, Menotti’s operetta THE MEDIUM, directed by Mako. At an early age, I saw people who looked like me as actors and artistic leaders, which perhaps made it possible for me to envision myself as a playwright when I got to college years later. In 2002, EWP co-produced my new version of FLOWER DRUM SONG, which premiered at the Mark Taper Forum before moving to Broadway. I’m thrilled to revisit and further revise this classic musical, working once again with the company that has been at the heart of my entire artistic life.”
“As a theater kid growing up, I’ll never forget the first time I saw FLOWER DRUM SONG—it was pure magic seeing faces like mine light up the silver screen in a major Hollywood production. The original has its share of flaws and stereotypes, but it nonetheless holds a special place in my heart. Watching David’s Tony Award-winning M. BUTTERFLY on Broadway opened my eyes to what seemed impossible: a real path in theater for an Asian American artist like me. This feels like a watershed moment—directing one of my most cherished musicals written by a playwright I’ve long admired, whose name graces our theater’s marquee in my first season as artistic director of East West Players. After directing and bringing David’s first adaptation of FLOWER DRUM SONG to life in 2019, I’m deeply honored to collaborate with him in shepherding the next iteration of this musical that has meant so much to the Asian American community.”
David Henry Hwang and East West Players share an intimate history. The theater’s current location at the former Union Church in historic Little Tokyo was funded in part by Henry and Dorothy Hwang, the parents of the renowned playwright for whom the theater is named. Previous productions of Hwang's work at East West Players include FOB (1980 and 1997 revival), The Dance and the Railroad/House of Sleeping Beauties (1993), Golden Child (2000), M. Butterfly (2004), Yellow Face (2007), Chinglish (2015), and Soft Power, a co-production with Center Theatre Group (2018).
Lily Tung Crystal is a director, actor, singer, and the artistic director of East West Players. She is also the former artistic director of Theater Mu in Minneapolis-St. Paul and co-founder of Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a director, her recent productions include the world premiere of Jessica Huang and Jacinth Greywoode’s new musical Blended 和 (Harmony): The Kim Loo Sisters (Mu/History Theatre); the world premiere of Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s The Kung Fu Zombies Saga (Mu); Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band (Mu/Jungle Theater); Susan Soon He Stanton’s Today Is My Birthday (Mu); and Steven Karam’s The Humans (Park Square Theatre), which won the Twin Cities Theater Bloggers’ Favorite Play 2022. She also helmed David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish and Flower Drum Song (Palo Alto Players) and the world premiere of Leah Nanako Winkler’s Two Mile Hollow (Ferocious Lotus), all for which she was named a Theatre Bay Area Award Finalist for Outstanding Direction.
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