The story of Mulan is coming to life on stage but with a modern twist.
Elizabeth Ung, an MFA candidate and acting lecturer at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, reimagined the Chinese folk tale of a young woman impersonating a man to join the army to save her father, to Mulan having five distinct personalities throughout various time periods.
“This is not the Disney 'Mulan,'” Ung said. “We’re not going to do another retelling of the classic story.”
The play, "I Am Mulan,” takes on a bold exploration of identity, legacy and cultural reclamation.
Ung, who wrote the play, drew upon the origins of “The Ballad of Mulan” in 4th century China, where the first Mulan is based in their play. Other Mulans are in other time periods such as 1930s Shanghai, the 1966 Cultural Revolution, the New York City AIDS crisis of the late 1980s, and the rise of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ung is a queer, mixed-race Chinese American who was born in Southern California and grew up in Maryland.
Ung grew up watching Disney’s 1998 animated film "Mulan." As they got older, they came across Maxine Hong Kingston’s “The Woman Warrior,” which is about the Chinese American experience. They also watched a David Henry Hwang play called “FOB” where he included “The Ballad of Mulan” from the original Chinese myth.
“I enjoyed those adaptations because it gave perspectives on the Chinese American experience and the idea of cultural assimilation and trying to right against that with reclaiming one’s roots, language and identity,” Ung said.
Ung said the Mulans in this multiverse eventually “confront each other's ideals and values.”
“They just debate and argue, and they try to figure out what makes a true Mulan, or what does it mean to be a true Mulan,” they said.
“I Am Mulan” features Hi’ilani Lily Okimura as ABC Mulan, alongside Justin Fragiao, Qi Zhang, Ariean Jimenez, and Jill Sanders. The design team includes set designer Lacey Tuell, light designer Tyler Kanemori, projections by Alison Bruce-Maldonado, and costumes by Kāneikoliakawahineikaʻiukapuomua Baker.
The play is presented by UHM’s Department of Theatre and Dance, and Kennedy Theatre. The play will be held from April 9 to 13. For more information on times and ticket prices, click here.
