Itinerary: Asian Theater

From community-based one-act plays to Broadway, Asian American playwrights and actors, voices and visions have emerged as vibrant presences on the American stage. Even Disney’s “The Lion King: The Musical” at the Pantages gets its unique look in part from traditional Asian theater influences: director Julie Taymor’s costuming, puppetry and masks are inspired by Japanese Bunraku puppetry and Indonesian shadow-play techniques, which have been seamlessly interwoven into “The Lion King’s” African choruses, rhythms and colors.

Thursday

See what happens when a successful Chinese American novelist, a Beijing opera star and his star pupil confront artistic truths and China’s revolutionary past in “Red,” playing at East West Players’ David Henry Hwang Theatre (120 Judge John Aiso St., downtown L.A., [213] 625-7000). Written and directed by Chay Yew, “Red” features strong performances by Jeanne Sakata, Page Leong and Emily Kuroda in a stunning interplay between loyalty and tradition, political upheaval and censorship. Note the play’s subtle about-face regarding gender roles and politics, while the choreography provides a haunting glimpse into the poetics of Chinese opera. Playing now through Oct. 28, “Red” runs Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 to $30.

Friday

Recall the Chinatown of lore with such songs as “Chop Suey” and “I Enjoy Being a Girl” in a new stage telling of “Flower Drum Song” from Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang at the Mark Taper Forum (130 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A., [213] 628-2772). “Flower Drum Song,” as some may recall from the 1961 movie, reprises the American immigrant tale of generational divide and filial piety based on the novel about San Francisco’s Chinatown by C.Y. Lee. Lea Salonga stars as the sensible Chinese girl, Mei-Li, and Sandra Allen plays the tawdry Linda Low character. The re-created “Flower Drum Song” features the original music and lyrics from Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II with a new book by Hwang. Performances run through Dec. 2, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 to $50.

Saturday

Searching for the father she lost after the Vietnam War, a young Vietnamese American girl journeys into the rugged redwood forests of Northern California in playwright Lanford Wilson’s “Redwood Curtain” (MMPAC, 3010 Juniper St., San Diego, [888] 568-2278, https://www.asianamericanrep.org ). Anne Tran plays Geri in this San Diego Asian American Repertory Theatre production directed by Robert Dahey. “Redwood Curtain” opens Saturday at 8 p.m., and continues Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 7 p.m. through Nov. 18 Tickets are $15; $12 for seniors, students and military. (In honor of Veterans Day, all veterans and military personnel get free admission on Nov. 11.)

Sunday

Exploring Buddhist themes, poetry and dance, “Lighten Up” is a performance about “enlightenment, and the sacred and sublime,” as part of a weekend festival of short plays at the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple (1 p.m., Sunday; 3456 S. Glenmark Drive, Hacienda Heights, [213] 613-1740, https://www.cornerstonetheater.org).

Director Mark Valdez describes “Lighten Up” as a modern dance/play featuring various Hsi Lai temple members, and is “grounded in ritual, bringing people of all different beliefs from all over the city.” “Lighten Up” is just one Cornerstone Theater Company’s “Festival of Faith” offering, a community and spiritual outreach festival of short plays. “Festival of Faith” will be staged in L.A.-area houses of worship such as Hsi Lai, the Baha’i Center and the Vedanta Temple, now through Nov. 18. Tickets are pay-what-you-can.