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Interview with Baayork Lee, June 27, 2003

 File
Identifier: 2017.032.006

Scope and Contents

A phone interview with Baayork Lee conducted by David Lewis Hammarstrom on June 27, 2003. Baayork was an ensemble dancer in the 1958 Rogers and Hammerstein production of "Flower Drum Song."

Asked to share memories of rehearsals or shows, she recalls working closely with choreographer Carole Haney on some of the dance numbers, understudying and unexpectedly going on as “Fan Tan Fannie” for one performance, and watching and learning dance steps on the side. She also offers her views on such topics as Asian stereotypes in the original show, David Henry Hwang’s rewriting of “Flower Drum Song,” why the show did not succeed on Broadway, racial cross-casting, and opportunities for Asians in the arts. This interview is one of a series of 18 interviews that author David Lewis Hammarstrom conducted in 2003 as part of research for his book, Flower Drum Songs: The Story of Two Musicals (2006).

Dates

  • Creation: June 27, 2003

Conditions Governing Use

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, belong to the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA). Interview can only be reproduced with permission from the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA).

Extent

3.831 Megabytes

Language of Materials

English

Repository Details

Part of the Museum of Chinese in America Repository

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