Special to Asia
Photo of C.Y. Lee courtesy of Lilee Chang Ma
I met the remarkable C.Y. Lee earlier this fall at a picnic for the Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights.
In an estate garden once owned by the Barrymores, the Royal Family of American Theater, the 90 year old Lee energetically shared how he came to write “The Flower Drum Song,” the best-selling novel that went on to become a Rodgers and Hammerstein hit Broadway musical, and revival by David Henry Hwang.
In that nostalgic setting it was as though theater history were coming alive among the lush greenery and tall lilies. Everyone at our table eagerly leaned in as Lee relayed how his writing career took a strange turn after an agent named Anne Elmo saw his play at Yale.
“She threw water on me!” he laughed, but he did not mean it literally. “She shook my hand and said, ‘never write another play!’ I asked her why she even wanted to see me, and she said ‘I saw a little sparkle in your play, and I thought you could be a good writer.’” The agent explained that plays with Chinese themes aren’t performed in the U.S., and that if he started writing short stories and novels, she could find a market for him.
“After that I never wrote a play,” he recalled, taking Elmo’s advice. “At the time immigration was trying to deport me because my student visa had expired. So, I committed a so-called crime: I took a job,” he laughed. “I went to San Francisco and worked as a reporter, everyday waiting for immigration to call me.” Someone finally did call. “Officer, I’m all packed,” said Lee answering the phone. “I’m not an immigration officer,” the man on the phone protested, “I’m the editor of Writer’s Digest. You won the first prize of our short-short story contest.” The prize was $750. And since Ellery Queen magazine had bought the reprint rights, Lee was to receive twice this amount.
Immigration then awarded Lee five more years in the U.S. and an application for citizen ship. Lee used the time to write his famous first novel, and it was San Francisco’s Chinatown that fed his muse. Not long after, Joseph Fields adapted the novel for Rodger’s and Hammerstein, for which Lee still enjoys royalties.
Twelve novels and as many short stories later, Lee has returned to playwriting, adapting his stories for the stage. Like “Flower Drum Song,” he continues to write about the Chinese American experience. In the comedy “House Guest from Xinjiang,” for example, a young Muslim Chinese student is hosted in the U.S by the Christian family of a California State professor. “To have a Muslim girl living in her home, there are cultural differences,” says Lee. “These are humorous differences, with a serious theme.” Lee is hopeful that a Cal State workshop will lead to a professional production at the Luckman Arts Center.
In addition, Lee has established The Bright Moon Performing Arts Institute in Los Angeles to promote the development of Chinese modern music and theatre. It is based on an organization founded 80 years ago in China by Lee’s musician brother Lee Jinhui. Lee is busy writing the Chinese libretto for “Peach Blossom River,” a modern day musical based on a song by his brother. “We changed the location to the San Gabriel Valley,” says Lee. “Peach Blossom River” is slated to premiere at Bright Moon next year, in cooperation with the American Chinese Performing Arts Theater in El Monte. Bright Moon will also offer courses for youth in dance and music.
Lee encourages new talent. For “Lady of Joy,” a musical adapted from his period novel “The Days of the Tong Wars,” Lee found an American born Chinese who is a singer/dancer to be the composer, and a lyricist who happens to be a physician. “I don’t care whether they’re a physician or not, a singer-dancer or not, as long as they’re talented,” says Lee.
Lee is also working on a Chinese translation of Joseph Fields “Flower Drum Song.” “We’re going to cast here, get the two plays in shape, and then we can have productions in Shanghai and Beijing and tour.” Except for its translation, the original Joseph Fields/Rodgers and Hammerstein production script already exists. “They even tell you how to direct it. God bless the three of them – they all are in heaven. Of the ‘Flower Drum Song,’ I’m probably the only one still living,” says Lee. His secret to longevity is simple. “I always say I’m sixty nine,” he laughs. “When you’re old your heart is not old. Mine is not old. And also: keep busy. It’s when you’re doing nothing that you decline - physically and mentally decline very fast. So I keep swimming, ballroom dancing, and working: writing – constantly writing.”
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