Dispatch from Mars: Thoughts on AANHPI Month
Letter from the Editor
As AAPI month comes to a close, I reflect on how different I spent last May from this May. (Wait, apparently it is now AANHPI Month yup, more letters = more representation? ) Last year, I got caught up in all the AAPI/AANHPI hoopla, and I found myself at a number of Asian American and Filipino-American events, some of which I even helped organize. It got to a point where you’d see the same people hopping from one AANHPI event to another. It’s odd how all these events are crammed into one month, as if we could not hold a dinner, show, festival any other month of the year.
Below are photos from May 2023.
This year, I was actually in Asia during the month of May, which made the experience of Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month, very different. Maybe even better?
I spent some time in Korea and the Philippines, and over there, I didn’t have to get on a soapbox and shout “I AM ASIAN. Hear me roar.” Over there, I simply was. Of course, there were those that saw me simply as The American.
I caught “Mix Mix: The Filipino Adventures of a German Jewish Boy” on opening weekend at the Los Angeles Theatre Center on Spring St. Despite the clunky title, the play is actually quite entertaining and informative. Based on the true story of Ralph J. Preiss, Mix Mix tells the story of a young boy Rudy (based on real life Ralph), who escapes Nazi Germany with his family to find safety in the Philippines, only to end up in the middle of the Japanese Invasion/ World War II. They seek shelter in mystical Mt. Banahaw, and that is where most of the action takes place. Playwright Boni Alvarez deftly weaves a tale of adventure, salvation based on true events - and makes it interesting, with many funny moments spliced into an otherwise serious topic of war, displacement, and death. The choreographed Filipino Martial Arts fight/dance scenes add some liveliness to the play.
Under the direction of Jon Lawrence Rivera, the cast - all 9 actors - do a pretty good job of playing multiple characters.
The night I watched the play, FilAm Arts served up some pre-show food from Island Pacific (pancit, lumbia, turon!) and following the show, the audience got the privilege of speaking with the cast in a Talk Back sponsored by NBC Launch and moderated by director/actor Fran De Leon.
My friends at FilAm Arts (full disclosure: I am on the Board) invite all of you to the Closing Weekend of Mix Mix. I heard Cafe 86 may be there providing Halo-Halo. If you want to see an original story in a new original play by, about and for Filipinos, please watch! Click here to purchase your tickets.
