Yee writes autofiction that keeps breaking its own frame, so the play starts as a naturalistic father-daughter comedy and detours into a surreal quest with a lion dancer and a locked association hall. The Jewel Box is a small, adaptable room where that kind of formal mischief plays much better than it would in a proscenium. If you like theatre that laughs at itself while quietly gutting you about inheritance, put this near the top of the list.
What to expect
A comedy roughly ninety minutes to two hours long in Signature's smaller house, with a compact cast playing many roles across San Francisco Chinatown. Expect metatheatrical devices, actors stepping out of the story to address you directly, quick scene changes, and a tonal swing from farce toward genuine feeling in the final stretch.
Good to know
- The Pershing Square Signature Center is at 480 West 42nd Street; the A/C/E to 42nd St-Port Authority is a block away.
- The Jewel Box is intimate and steeply raked, so sightlines are strong throughout.
- Signature's ticket initiative keeps a block of lower-priced seats available for each production.
- The lobby cafe and bar are open before performances if you want to arrive early.
- Content is broadly suitable for teenagers and up.
- Accessible seating and assistive listening are available through the Signature box office.
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Common questions
Is this autobiographical?
Yee describes it as a kind-of-true story; she writes herself and her father into the play while bending the events.
Which Signature theatre is it in?
The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre inside the Pershing Square Signature Center on West 42nd Street.
Who directs?
Joshua Kahan Brody.
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