East West Players will present Rodger’s beloved musical Flower Drum Song at Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in historic Little Tokyo from April 18 – May 31. The show marks the grand finale of EWP’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Legacy season and its final production before the 880-seat venue undergoes a major renovation.
The show is based on Tony-winner David Henry Hwang’s newly updated 2026 book based on the original book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joseph Fields, which itself was based on the novel by C.Y. Lee. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved classic with its songs and characters returns to Los Angeles for the first time since the premiere of Hwang’s adaptation at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum over twenty years ago.
The story follows Mei-Li, a young Chinese opera performer fleeing communism, as she arrives in America and is drawn into the vibrant and dazzling world of the Grant Avenue nightclubs. Set against the backdrop of 1960s San Francisco Chinatown, Hwang’s 2026 revision explores themes of immigration, assimilation, tradition, and community. Questions of identity, immigration, and cultural preservation remain as relevant today, making the show offer perspective and depth.
The show is 2 hours and 30 minutes long, and appropriate for ages 6 up. Regular performances take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, with additional select weekday shows and matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.
The largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, East West Players was founded in 1965 at a time when Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders faced limited or no opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in the American landscape. Today, East West Players continues to ensure that their stories are told and to increase access, inclusion, and representation in entertainment and media. The organization was designated by the Ford Foundation as one of America’s Cultural Treasures in 2020.
For more information and tickets, please visit eastwestplayers.org.