Pak scores Ang Lee adaptation
Woody Pak (S.B. 1994) is the composer for a new musical, "The Wedding Banquet," which will have its U.S. premiere by the Seattle Village Theatre from Sept. 18 to Oct. 26 at the Issaquah Theatre. Based on Ang Lee's film of the same name, "The Wedding Banquet" concerns gay Taiwanese-American Wai-Tung, whose parents are pressuring him to marry. Complications ensue when boyfriend Simon arranges Wai-Tung's marriage to a young woman who needs a green card.
Prior to the U.S. presentation, the Second Generation production premiered in Taiwan and toured Taipei and Singapore.
Pak first teamed with Brian Yorkey (lyrics) and Welly Yang (concept, development, leading actor) on Second Generation's musical "Making Tracks," which played off-Broadway in 1999. Pak, who's married and has a son, moved to Los Angeles last year to pursue more film and television work. It's been challenging, he says--"I've been able to stay afloat with a bunch of commercials."
Alum's play a Fringe favorite
"Meaningless Sex," a musical by Seth Bisen-Hersh (S.B. 2001) and Brendan Clifford about what happens when the cast of a fictitious show called "Love Story" gathers on closing night, won Theater Mania's Audience Award for favorite show at this year's New York International Fringe Festival.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on September 10, 2003.
