'Chinese Republicans' Off-Broadway review — stiletto-sharp play explores where the personal and professional meet

Read our review of Chinese Republicans off Broadway, a world-premiere play written by Alex Lin and directed by Chay Yew at Roundabout Theatre Company.

Summary

• Chinese Republicans follows a group of four women navigating the male-dominated investment banking industry and potentially sacrificing themselves and each other to get ahead
• The show has standout performances from Iris Long and Jully Lee
• The play is funny while sharply interrogating ideas of gender; identity; and workplace toxicity
• The show is recommended for fans of shows like The Bear and Industry; and of media that explores Asian American stories

There’s a line drop in Alex Lin's Chinese Republicans, directed by Chay Yew, that sent a hush over my audience, as if we all realized we were hearing the thesis of the play. “The moment you think the world is making progress is the moment you become outdated,” says Phyllis (Jodi Long), the sharp-tongued oldest character in the cast who, until her monologue about halfway through, hasn’t had much to say to the other characters except barbs.

This mic-drop moment speaks to the power of Lin’s writing. Chinese Republicans is tense, sharp, and barkingly funny. It’s a bit like watching an episode of The Bear: No matter how many comedic breaks you get, the tension can never really dissipate — it just keeps building and building.

Chinese Republicans follows an affinity group of four women, all Chinese American or Chinese, who work at the same investment banking company. Ellen Chung (Jennifer Ikeda) is at the center of them all. She is the reason they all meet monthly for an affinity group with the hilariously cringey name “Asian Babes Changing the Game.” She is the mentee of Phyllis and the mentor of Katie (Anna Zavelson). And by the end of the show, despite her initial insistence on “support” and celebrating “shared identities,” she has revealed herself to be a Faustian figure who would sacrifice anyone with a shared identity just to cling to her position in their toxic workplace.

Long delivers a standout performance as Phyllis, the corporate matriarch who at first seems aggressively out of touch but slowly reveals the depth of her integrity and how she grapples with the consequences of her own sacrifices. Long’s presence commands the stage as efficiently as the clack of her stilettos. Jully Lee as Iris, the only character from China, is always a welcome face on stage. Her comedic relief is always excellent, whether she’s an anxiety-generated imaginary game show host or physically throwing a nosy waiter out of the room. Lee shows her range when Iris finally challenges Ellen in earnest, delivering a heartfelt speech about her own perspective as the only immigrant in the group.

Each woman has a unique perspective on life in the investment banking firm, but with tragically similar trajectories. Despite what they do have in common, however, the tensions between them swell until they explode in the final scene, an epic confrontation that, nonetheless, doesn’t bring any real conclusion to the drama we just watched. But it’s not supposed to. Lin’s drama encompasses a question of identity that can have no answers, only different experiences.

Chinese Republicans summary

Ellen, Phyllis, Iris, and Katie are four high-powered corporate women who meet for a monthly affinity group, supposedly to support each other as Chinese and Chinese American women in the white, male-dominated industry of investment banking. But their meetings rarely go to plan, much to organizer Ellen’s frustration.

When newcomer Katie, Ellen’s protegée, misses out on a big promotion, the cracks in the group’s already shaky connection begin to deepen. As tensions boil within the group, each woman must decide what choices she will make to get ahead, even if the cost is the other members — or her own identity.

What to expect at Chinese Republicans

The most compelling through line of this story is the shifting dynamic between three generations of women: Phyllis, the boomer; Ellen, the Gen Xer; and Katie, the millennial. Just as Phyllis was Ellen’s mentor, so Ellen angles herself to be Katie’s. But the three generations of women also represent different waves of feminism, as well as different relationships to their identity as Chinese Americans. (Iris floats between the three, not directly a part of the cycle of corporate violence they inflict on each other, and the only one with a non-American perspective.)

The styling of these three illustrates this contrast beautifully: Phyllis’s pencil skirts, cinched waists, and stiletto heels stand in stark contrast to Ellen’s masculine blazers and wide, flat shoes. (Costume design is by Anita Yavich.) Meanwhile, Katie is a more neutral, carefree combination of the two, as if she’s never had to think too hard about the statement her clothes make about her right to exist in a male-dominated industry.

The play is poignantly set in 2019, a year we all now associate with the last days of normality before the global pandemic shut down the world. But for these women, it also represents a dangerous time of rising anti-Asian attacks and hate crimes. This anticipated violence is present throughout but mostly unacknowledged, except for a brief scene when Phyllis arrives at one of the affinity meetings with a bloody gash on her face, having just been attacked on the subway.

What audiences are saying about Chinese Republicans

With an 82% rating averaged from 45 audience reviews on Show-Score, Chinese Republicans has been generally well received. Audience members have largely praised the cast's performances and Lin's script.

• “A thought-provoking and entertaining show that seems especially important for this moment. I especially like that different generations of women were represented in the cast.” -S how-Score user Jeri L
• “This production has a very talented cast and use of a turntable gave interest in a rather minimal set.” - Show-Score user RONALD J
• “Mostly laughed but cried at how far the Chinese American experience has come on stage. The bravery in the writing kept the dynamic between the characters and their chemistry alive.” - Show-Score user Jean L

Read more audience reviews of Chinese Republicans on Show-Score.

Who should see Chinese Republicans

• Fans of tense drama with funny, biting writing will love the dialogue that these four characters (and their hapless waiter, played by Ben Langhorst) trade back and forth like swordplay.
• People looking for theatre that explores the Chinese American experience will get a unique perspective from writer Alex Lin.
• Fans of the HBO show Industry will resonate with the theme of personal integrity versus naked ambition that dominates Chinese Republicans.

Learn more about Chinese Republicans off Broadway

With incisive writing, relatable characters, and a stout heart, Chinese Republicans will leave audiences pondering identity, gender, toxic work environments, and what sacrifices we tell ourselves are justified.

Learn more and get Chinese Republicans tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Chinese Republicans is at the Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre through April 5.

Photo credit: Chinese Republicans off Broadway. (Photos by Joan Marcus)