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A moment of enlightenment for 2g's Artistic Director Welly Yang in The Karaoke Show

Behind The Scenes:
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October 2004 Newsletter : : Behind The Scenes : : Meet The Artist : : FAQ


2g Meets Karaoke: A Comedy of Errors

Karaoke, a Japanese word, literally means "empty orchestra." So, The Karaoke Show -- "the empty orchestra show?" What were director Diane Paulus and writer Randy Weiner thinking? What was 2g thinking, getting involved in something like that! Diane and Randy have only created The Donkey Show that has run over 800 performances, and 2g only just put on a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall! And now this?

It turns out that it was not such a crazy idea after all. Karaoke has become a pastime so popular that it is listed in the latest editions of both Japanese and English dictionaries. It only makes sense to use it in theatre. As Diane says, it is not only a channel for people who can't sing to scream and yell, rather, it is "a beautiful form of socializing and performance. It is the ultimate kind of performance."

How did they come up with the idea-- 30 + years after the concept came alive in Kobe, Japan? Was it an attempt by Diane, a Japanese American, to pay tribute to an invention of her heritage? Not quite. Oddly enough, the show was born in London. In winter of 2000, the Ambassador Theatre Group commissioned the pair to create something for London audiences. They had fallen in love with Diane and Randy's brilliance with The Donkey Show. As a way to "take the classical grand theatrical traditions and marry them with the most new pop culture phenomenon," Randy suggested a karaoke version of Shakespeare's Comedy of Error. The Brits were instantly sold on the idea. So, with a few pints of Guinness and an existing cast from The Donkey Show, the couple went to work—making the rounds through local pubs in north London. After all, Diane needed a way to figure out that the British preferred the Monkeys over Elvis. Six weeks of workshops later, The Karaoke Show was born. Though it was an instant success, it was not logistically possible to keep an American crew in London for long.

Back in the Big Apple, Diane was free to develop the show to match American tastes. In the more familiar American culture, with karaoke creeping into the mainstream, and an ideal venue in El Flamingo, the scene was ripe for something new and different. That's when Second Generation (2g) entered the picture.

Since meeting at Columbia University 8 years ago, Diane and 2g's Artistic Director Welly Yang had been discussing various collaborations, but none had ever materialized, until the idea of karaoke was proposed. The concept of using karaoke, a favorite Asian American pasttime, to redefine and create a new theatrical experience was very enticing. The show unmistakable jives with 2g's mission to create theatre that reaches across cultural, generational, and racial boundaries, and expands the definition of what "Asian American theater" can be. The two also had a platform for casting Asian American actors into roles not typically available to them-opportunities that 2g constantly strives to foster for Asian American artists. It was important for them that some of the principal roles be Asian. More precisely, Welly insisted, "the Asian guy has got to get the chick!"

Within just one month, the team frantically re-worked the script, cast, and launched a string of seven workshops in Fall 2002. Since then, the show has been modified to encompass both artistic direction and audience demands. The result is a show that is far more polished than the audience is led to believe. This scripted spontaneity is exactly what the creators had in mind at its inception.

It is clear that Diane, Randy, and Welly knew where they were headed for when they got together to create the ULTIMATE KARAOKE EXPERIENCE. The show has been a triumphant success. And as one of the lead Anthonys, Welly definitely got his chick.