Remaking the American Family: Asian Americans on Broadway during the Cold War Era Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Seunghyun Hwang, M.A. Graduate Program in Theatre The Ohio State University 2014 Thesis Committee: Lesley Ferris, Advisor Beth Kattelman Jennifer Schlueter Copyright by Seunghyun Hwang 2014 Abstract "Remaking the American Family: Asian Americans on Broadway during the Cold War Era" adds to the extant literature of theatre history by showing how an examination of Broadway productions can serve as a portal to understanding the historical emergence of Asians in their journey to become full American citizens. Based on three criteria: financial success, artistic success, and Asian content, I chose the following: South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), The Teahouse of the August Moon (1953), Flower Drum Song (1958), and A Majority of One (1959). Through closely reading these Cold War Broadway productions, I discuss the ways in which the productions suggest a revision of the way the Asian family was co-opted into American family ideology after World War II. I investigate how concepts of ethnic groups, gender, education and American democracy are reinforced, revised, reshaped, and articulated by what I define as a Cold War "traditional family" structure and travel literature. I analyze aspects of the transforming family structure in three central chapters. In Chapter 2, "The American Family Portrait: Asians Move into the Frame," I delineate a new definition of "American" that includes Asians as evidenced in the staging of these mainstream Broadway productions. In Chapter 3, "Interracial Romances and Parental Responsibilities," the productions demonstrate Asians as responsible men and women who have the ability and desire to become good American parents and citizens. Chapter 4, "Educating the Children," focuses on characters learning English intertwined with the tenets of American democracy. Such ii education was crucial to Asians to justify the possibility of their process of Americanization. The concluding chapters summarizes my analysis and suggests future research possibilities. iii Dedication Dedicated to my wife, father and mother, and parents-in-law iv Acknowledgments A number of people have been instrumental to the completion of this dissertation. My deepest gratitude goes to Dr. Lesley Ferris who has tolerated my incalculable number of questions and has turned the darkness into bright light. She has helped me develop a deep interest in the research process and attentively mentored me. I deeply appreciate her for her helpful and productive feedback and enrichment of my understanding of this body of literature. I would like to thank Dr. Beth Kattelman for her flexibility, perceptive comments, and ongoing efforts to help me be a better writer. Her creative productions inspired me in various ways. I offer thanks to her for providing me with access to special collections, particularly the Leonard Spigelgass Collection at Lawrence and Lee Theatre Research Institute, The Ohio State University. I am grateful to Dr. Jennifer Schlueter for providing me with a model of scholarly research infused with insightful analysis. She enriched my thinking about popular culture and generously shared her vast knowledge of the history of American popular culture and critical concepts on theatre and culture. I wish to thank my beloved wife, Youjoung Lee, for her sincere support and thoughtful advice. I would like to express my undying gratitude to my father, Soonhwan Hwang, for his love and support in all the most important ways during my long and rocky transition to adulthood, and to my mother, Myungsook Lim, for providing me a model of what a reliable person should be like. Also, I wish to thank my parents-in-law, Byungmoo Lee and Sookhee Choi, for their commitment and love. v Finally, I want to thank my dear friend, Rose Stough, who remained encouraging and full of productive and wise suggestions. I am deeply grateful to her who has always been a trusted mentor and friend. vi Vita December 10, 1976..................Born in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea 2001.........................................B.A., English, Yonsei University, South Korea 2006.........................................M.A., English, Sunkyunkwan University, South Korea 2009.........................................M.A., Theatre, The Ohio State University 2009─Present..........................Graduate Student, Department of Theatre, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Theatre vii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ..................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................... v Vita ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................. ix List of Figures ................................................................................................................ x Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 The American Family Portrait in Transition: Asians Move Into the Frame 32 Chapter 3 Interracial Romances and Parental Responsibilities ................................... 62 Chapter 4 Educating the Children .............................................................................. 106 Chapter 5 In Hindsight: Concluding Thoughts .......................................................... 138 Bibliography .............................................................................................................. 150 viii List of Tables Table 1.1 Governmental Actions .................................................................................. 11 Table 1.2 Evidence of Financial Success and Artistic Success .................................... 24 Table 1.3 Asian Characters and Content in Productions .............................................. 25 Table 3.1 Gender Roles in The Family Structure in TV Shows ................................... 63 Table 3.2 Gender Roles in the Family Structure in Broadway Productions ................ 64 Table 3.3 Philadelphia Population, 1930-1950 ............................................................ 73 Table 4.1 Child Characters in the Family Structure in TV Shows ............................. 110 Table 4.2 Child Characters in the Family Structure Broadway Productions ............. 111 Table 4.3 Adults Who Are Childlike in the Broadway Productions .......................... 125 ix List of Figures Figure 3.1 The Five Productions and Legal Congressional Acts................................. 69 Figure 4.1 Norman Rockwell, "Going and Coming" ................................................. 117 Figure 4.2 School Begins ........................................................................................... 124 x Chapter 1 Introduction Stereotypes Revived Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest- growing racial group in the United States. They are more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place more value than other Americans do on marriage, parenthood, hard work and career success, according to a comprehensive new nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center. “The Rise of Asian Americans” Pew Research: Social & Demographic Trends (Pew Research Center, Washington, D.C., 4 April, 2013, p. v) According to a 2013 Pew Research Center report “Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States” ("Rise of Asian" v). The history of this significant American ethnic population has become a relevant research issue in many academic domains, including theatre history. The diasporic journey of Asian people in the quest of American identity is chronicled in historical American cultural works, such as plays, songs, and fiction. Predominantly, the chronological continuum of Asian American identity has focused on discrimination. This discriminative oriented history raises a few questions about the contemporary state of Asian American identity. Do the stereotypes and racial prejudices of the past toward Asian-ness still survive in the United States today? Are 1 they actively held by mainstream society? Some people might insist that these kinds of questions are inappropriate because the U.S. now locates itself as a post-racial society due to the election of African American Barak Obama as U.S. president. However, several current cases involving racial stereotypes of Asian Americans debunk this claim of a colorblind society. For example, the case of one professional basketball player illustrates that these questions are not outdated and that racial prejudice still exists in certain parts of daily life in America. In a series of games during the 2012 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, Asian American Jeremy Lin became an active player and led his team, the New York Knicks, to an impressive winning streak. His dynamic presence in the