Mulan Jr. - Director

Mulan Jr. is a story that resonated with me personally. Our daughter Sophie Fay JiaoXin is adopted Chinese and I have always considered her to be my very own present day Mulan. When I was asked to direct this show at Tacoma Musical Playhouse it gave me the opportunity to revisit Chinese culture by delving into the research of the Tang Dynasty and the real Mulan, who lived during the 6th century. This teenage girl ran away in order to save her own father from going back to war. She was at war for 12 years, age 16-28, fighting alongside her male counterparts and remained completely  undetected, returning home a decorated general and a hero. She stands as one of China’s first female feminists and remains an important and revered figure in Chinese history.

I didn’t want this production to be a clone of the popular animated Disney film, but, rather an account that attempted to capture the truth, epic nature, and unbelievable journey of a courageous young woman.

To me, puppetry was a way to infuse an ethereal quality to the characters of the Ancestors. This meant that Mushu also needed to be a puppet since he/she is also “other worldly”. Mushu is the only one who is able to communicate with the Fa Family Ancestors and the “real” world, so the puppet device seemed to make perfect sense. It worked beautifully and gave my very young cast the opportunity to learn and practice puppetry in performance.

I also decided to employ Beijing Opera makeup to give a unified and authentic look. This, along with a pared down costume design, kept the focus on the story with a modern and dramatic visual appeal.

We also filled the choreography with Tai Chi, acrobatics, and indigenous theatrical Chinese movement that became a nod to the athletic and energetic style of storytelling that is Beijing Opera.

This group of 40 cast members, aged 8-11 surprised all of us with their dedication, talent, and determination. It was a remarkable experience.