LAOWANG

NOVEMBER 1 - DECEMBER 14, 2025

59E59 THEATERS (59 East 59th Street)
Tues-Fri @ 7pm; Sat @ 2 & 7pm; Sun @ 2pm
Thurs @ 2pm on November 20, December 4, & 11
We will have an altered schedule during the week of Thanksgiving

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written by ALEX LIN
directed by JOSHUA KAHAN BRODY


Don't mess with a Chinese grandma.

When a high-rise developer threatens to buy out A-Poh’s successful Chinatown restaurant, the martyr-complex matriarch gathers her three precious grandchildren from all corners of the country to plan their next mode of attack. There’s just one problem – A-Poh's memory is rapidly fading. What follows is a chaotic journey through reality, myth, and magic as A-Poh travels through now and the great beyond in a last-ditch effort to preserve what’s left of her family, legacy, and sanity. A caustic and imaginative spin on King Lear that explores the changing face of America's Chinatowns and the fight to preserve a fading cultural memory.

Run time: 1 Hour, 30 Minutes with no intermission
This show contains haze and flashing lights.

Laowang was developed as part of the Liff Lab, an innovative new play development program at Primary Stages.

Laowang was originally developed by Two River Theater (Justin Waldman, Artistic Director; Nora DeVeau-Rosen, Managing Director), and received support from the New York Theatre Workshop annual summer residency at Dartmouth College.

Lead support for Laowang is provided by the Garfield Family Fund in memory of Johanna Garfield and the Andrew Leynse Legacy Project at Primary Stages.

Major season support provided by the The Howard Gilman Foundation, the A.R Gurney Playwrights Fund, The SHS Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

MEET THE TEAM

MEET THE CAST

  • Cindy Cheung

    Amy Choy and others

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  • Wai Ching Ho

    A-Poh

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  • Amy Keum

    Lai-Fa Choy and others

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  • Jon Norman Schneider

    Steven Choy and others

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  • Daisuke Tsuji

    Wesley Chiu and others

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  • Nikki Lint

    PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

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  • Sammy Landau

    ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

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CREATIVE TEAM

TALKBACKS

Talkbacks will be led by a member of the Primary Stages artistic staff following the performance and offer an opportunity for the audience to engage in a dialogue with the artists in our productions.

Post-show talkbacks for Laowang will take place on November 14, 15, 23, and December 2, 2025.

  • Friday, November 14 at 7pm: Emerging API Artists in conversation with playwright Alex Lin
    with artists Jesse Jae Hoon, Julia Izumi, and Yilong Liu

  • Saturday, November 15 at 7pm: API Night - A Community Night and Talkback in collaboration with CAATA (the Consortium of Asian American Theater Artists)
    with CAATA Executive Director Kayla Kim Votapek, CAATA Board Member and actor Sofia Skyles, and playwrights Lauren Yee and Alex Lin

  • Sunday, November 23 at 2pm: Gentrification and Uplifting Small Businesses in Chinatown in collaboration with Welcome to Chinatown
    with Harry Trinh from Welcome to Chinatown and playwright Alex Lin

  • Tuesday, December 2 at 7pm: Talkback with the Cast and Creative Team of Laowang

Learn more about our community partners and talkback panelists!

BUY TICKETS

Click the link below to purchase tickets via the 59E59 Theaters box office.

For any questions or to purchase over the phone, please call the 59E59 Theaters box office at (212) 753-5959.

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SHOW LOCATION

59E59 Theaters, 59 East 59th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues)