INTERSTATE


A 20something trans man and his lesbian best friend take a road trip across America (and in so doing transform the life of a transgender Kentucky teen) in East West Players’ powerful, exhilarating World Premiere musical Interstate.

The year is 2008, George W. Bush is still in the White House, and with a rapidly growing Internet following, the time is ripe for singer-songwriters Dash (Jupiter Lê) and Adrian (Kristian Espiritu), aka “Queer Malady,” to take their show on a cross-country mission to “make the world a better place for trans people, queer people, and Asian Americans.”

Counting himself as one of Queer Malady’s biggest fans is 15-year-old Kentuckian Henry (Jaya Joshi), still known to his South Asian immigrant parents and his Fort Liberty high school classmates as Priya, but about to take his first steps towards coming into himself and coming out.

And who better to inspire Henry as life in the boonies gets tougher and tougher than Dash and Adrian, and where better to go when things get too rough to handle than San Francisco, the last stop on Queer Malady’s first (and possibly last) national tour.

Interstate (book by Melissa Li and Kit Yan, music and lyrics by Li, poetry and additional lyrics by Yan) follows Dash, Adrian, and Henry as they traverse America (and life) in a series of initially comical scenes accompanied by the catchiest of melodies and the cleverest of lyrics.

Supporting players include Dash’s Chinese immigrant Dad (Reuben Uy), who loves his “upgraded” son unconditionally; Adrian’s high-powered lawyer Mom (Michelle Noh), who’s no more pleased about her daughter’s music career than she is about her “lifestyle choice”; music executive Madison (Natalie Holt MacDonald), who sees Adrian minus Dash as an upcoming indie star; and Pastor Fred (Stefan Miller), who might or might not accept Henry just as he is.

Last but not least is Adrian’s ex (and possibly once-again) girlfriend Carly (Krystle Simmons), whose mid-road-trip arrival further muddles a friendship already complicated by Dash’s longing for Adrian to be more than just his lesbian bestie.

In tackling issues of race, sexuality, and gender identity, co-writers Li and Yan give Dash, Adrian, Henry, and the audience plenty to contend with, and though Interstate’s sudden transition into darker, more uncomfortable territory proves jarring, this promising new musical ends up as inspiring as it is informative and thought-provoking, particularly as directed with nuance, care, and flair by Jesca Prudencio.

Just-turned-21 trans actor Lê is a find, and so is recent Shenandoah University grad Joshi, and the fact that the talented twosome play characters at two very different stages of a journey towards transgender authenticity makes Interstate truly unique among contemporary musicals.

Stage vets Espiritu and Simmons show off powerhouse vocals to match some palpable onstage sparks as a couple of lesbian exes who might just still be in love.

Multi-tasking featured players MacDonald, Miller, Noh, and Uy each create several deliciously defined characters in what may well be East West Players’ most diversely cast show to date. (Uy is a particular charmer as the kind of fully-accepting parent many LGBTQ+ kids can only dream to call “Dad.”)

Not only that, but there’s not a weak voice among the Interstate octet, who perform under Marc Macalintal’s expert music direction, with orchestrations by Macy Schmidt.

Last but not least, they dance up quite a storm to Annie Yee’s captivating choreography.

Yuki Izumihara’s ingenious scenic design allows Yee Eun Nam’s projections to chart Dash and Adrian’s cross-country journey atop a glitzy stage-wide silver metallic tinsel foil fringe curtain, lit to vibrant perfection by Karyn D. Lawrence.

Brooke Kesler’s character-defining costumes are another plus (I heart the heart-print shirts that accompany “Loser Dumplings”) as are Cicada Fi’s road-trip-ready props and Cricket Myers and Christian Lee’s rock concert-ready sound design.

J’Arrian Wade is assistant director. Natascha Sinha is dramaturg. Josephine Kearns is gender consultant. Casting is by Andy Lowe.

Brandon Hong Cheng is stage manager and Edward Khris Fernandez is assistant stage manager.

Over the years, East West Players has built up a reputation for reinventing musical theater classics like their recent Broadway-caliber Assassins revival. Interstate takes America’s longest-running Asian-American theater in exciting new directions. It’s a cross-county road trip well worth taking.

East West Players, David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles.
www.eastwestplayers.org

–Steven Stanley
June 18, 2022
Photos: Steven Lam

 

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