Overachieving siblings disappointed with work, personal lives seek remedies in satirical 'Tiger Style!' at Writers Theatre
“Tiger Style!” - ★ ★ ½
The overachieving siblings at the center of Mike Lew's witty, satirical “Tiger Style!” are unhappy and out of place.
Albert Chen, a Harvard University-educated software programmer has lost a promotion to a slacker colleague. Jennifer Chen, an MD/Ph.D. who graduated from Harvard in three years, has been dumped by her slouch of a boyfriend. For these failures they blame their “tiger parents,” who pushed their kids to excel academically and artistically but failed to properly nurture them. Or so Albert and Jennifer believe in this sendup of cultural stereotypes, in which 30-something Chinese Americans feel uncomfortable everywhere they go. (More about that later).
The play also examines identity, specifically that of young people trying to reconcile the old-world values their parents instilled (academic achievement, hard work, modesty, deference) with the easygoing self-interest and sociability valued today.
Brimming with humorous one-liners and pop culture references, the broadly written play includes a few not-so-oblique allusions to the COVID-19 pandemic that suggest Lew has made some updates since the play's 2015 premiere.
Directed by Brian Balcom, Writers Theatre's Chicago-area premiere is a funny, nicely frenetic production with Rammel Chan and Deanna Myers, who play multiple roles, delivering especially droll performances. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Some of the acting is shrill, manic even, with some actors starting at 11 and then having nowhere to go. It's exhausting, and Writer's production suffers because of it.
Christopher Thomas Pow plays Albert, a “smart but lazy software engineer who pulls in a respectable 70 thou” and begrudgingly covers for goldbricking co-worker Russ the Bus (Garrett Lutz). Aurora Adachi-Winter is older sister Jennifer, who never misses an opportunity to point out how she's so much better than everyone else.
“I'm a clinical oncologist with a perfect survival rate and perfect dentistry. I'm patently awesome,” she says in response to her freeloading boyfriend Reggie (also Lutz, who's ideal playing idlers) breaking up with her.
With their professional and personal lives imploding, the siblings confront their parents (Chan and Myers), blaming them for their failure and demanding an apology. Mom and dad refuse.
“Suck it up,” they say, reminding Albert and Jennifer they were provided with every opportunity and, as adults, it's up to them to fix themselves.
To that end, the siblings embark on their self-proclaimed “Asian Freedom Tour,” vowing to go “full Western” with Albert adopting a slacker attitude and Jennifer undergoing therapy for her control issues. When that fails, they shift gears and go “full Eastern,” emigrating to China, where things don't go as imagined. For smart characters raised in a democracy to believe they could find satisfaction under a totalitarian regime struck me as hopelessly naive. As a contrivance, it left me cold.
That said, an intriguing shift takes place late in the play during a discussion between the siblings and a customs agent on the subject of identity. The stakes rise and the tone turns serious. In the play's waning moments, “Tiger Style!” ceases to be a comedy and hints at a more provocative drama in the making and a play I'd like to see.
Location: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, (847) 242-6000, writerstheatre.org
Showtimes: 3 and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through Oct. 30
Tickets: $35-$90
Running time: About 2 hours, 20 minutes, with intermission
Parking: Street parking available
Rating: For teens and older, contains mature language
COVID-19 precautions: Masking required