Last night's performance of Mysterious Skin in Los Angeles was surprisingly packed for a Wednesday night, which is a good sign that my play will not lead East West Players to financial ruin. I seriously thought that was a possibility—SERIOUSLY.

Artistic Director Tim Dang himself has admitted the play is "the most challenging, edgy work EWP has ever produced in our 45 year history." You know, it's the kind of theatre that can make longtime subscribers vomit into their hands and ask for their money back. But strong word of mouth from people who do not vomit—and who, in fact, are deeply moved by the production—is apparently helping the show along.

In anticipation of those patrons prone to vomiting into their hands, though, there are so many subject-matter warnings on all the Mysterious Skin ads and promotional materials and there are signs taped up all over the theater—on doors, in stairwells, etc. (Click the photo to enlarge.)

Still, we get angry e-mails ("We found the nudity, foul language, and sexual situations offensive.... While we have seen such general warnings before, we have seen nothing like the intense, graphic violence that we saw today."); comment cards ("This is the most sadistic play I have ever seen."); and elderly Asian ladies fleeing the theater during intermission ("This is not my cup of tea! I'm not ready for these types of these things yet!") What I find most amusing by that last quote is the woman's use of the word "yet." Some day, ma'am, some day....

Anyway, aren't the warning sign's mention of loud sounds and fog effects and such the same kind of language that's used to keep people with heart conditions and pregnant women off roller coasters? Stay away, folks! I don't want anyone to pass out from watching this show. (Well, actually I do, but don't tell anyone.)

Get your Mysterious Skin tickets here.

Mysterious Skin novelist Scott Heim and I recently sat down to interview each other for the You Offend Me You Offend My Family blog.



Read "Reverse Racebending: 'Mysterious Skin.'"

You know, if I had Kung Zhu Hamsters to play with when I was a kid, I would've had a proper outlet for my pent-up Asian male rage and I would've probably grown up to be a well-adjusted adult. Instead, I played with and talked to stuffed animals. Now, as soon as the child in the downstairs apartment starts crying, I can be heard screaming, "SHUT THAT FUCKING KID UP!!!!!" Cause and effect. I'm just saying. Watch:


[Video Link]

[Thanks to Aaron Lee Fineman.]

Look, I'm not going to stop talking about Mysterious Skin until the Los Angeles run is dead and over, so get used to it. And get used to me linking to high praise. It makes me feel all warm in my fuzzy parts—or does it make me feel all fuzzy in my warm parts? Anyway, here's some love from bloggers who have seen the show.

Read the post from Back Stage Unscripted for a young actor's perspective:
http://backstage.blogs.com/unscripted/2010/09/some-mysterious-skin-.html

Read the post from Leslie Ishii's Entertainment Career Blog for a director's perspective:
http://leslieishiiblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/mysterious-skin-must-see-at-ewp.html

Read the post from Writing Asian American Epic Fantasy for a veteran actor's perspective:
http://firsthemisphere.blog.com/2010/09/10/see-mysterious-skin-and-the-line-in-the-sand

Read the post from Louise on the Left for an Orange County mom and avid theatregoer's perspective:
http://louiselarsen.blogspot.com/2010/09/mysterious-skin-amazing-night-of.html

Read the post from Asians on Film for a cinephile's perspective:
http://www.asiansonfilm.com/2010/09/prince-gomolvilas-mysterious-skin

Keep it comin', people! My warm/fuzzy parts just can't get enough!

As you may have noticed, dedicated Bamboo Nation readers, things have been rather quiet around these parts. I've been completely immersed in the L.A. production of Mysterious Skin—our first week of previews were beautiful, by the way—and going through some major life changes. I lieu of lengthy, witty commentary, here are production photos from the show (running now until October 10, 2010), a show which I am proud of beyond words. You should see me sit there during performances and burst into tears like a little bitch.


Benjamin Lee (Marcus Choi) explains alien abductions to his television audience. Photo by Michael Lamont.


Brian (Scott Keiji Takeda) and Avalyn (Elizabeth Liang) identify the person who can solve the answers to Brian’s past. Photo by Michael Lamont.


Wendy (Christine Corpuz) warns Neil (David Huynh) about hustling in a big city like New York. Photo by Michael Lamont.


Eric (Ruffy Landayan) confesses his feelings to Neil (David Huynh) before Neil moves to New York. Photo by Michael Lamont.


Neil (David Huynh) meets Brian (Scott Keiji Takeda) on the street where their lives come crashing together to unlock the past. Photo by Michael Lamont.

USC's Master of Professional Writing Program just launched a blog for writers (and aspiring writers). It features posts by distinguished MPW faculty and staff. My first post is up! (I'm distinguished!)



Read "Eminem on Writer's Block."

You can leave comments over there, not here. Spice that blog up, yo! Thanks.

Feodor Chin, he of Golden Boy fame, has crafted a perverse short film, co-starring Chalk Repertory Theatre's Jennifer Chang, that titillates your senses and then abuses your eyes. Feo claims that his movie perhaps coincidentally presents a comedic take on some of the events in my Mysterious Skin—but I told him that Mysterious Skin is comedy. Doesn't everybody know that? It's HI-larious. (Except for the parts when it's not. You know, those parts that are meant to completely. Fuck. You. Up.) Anyway, this short is indeed funny stuff, though probably not safe for work—unless you work for Maxim.



Watch the video here.

These women are for real. And they are endlessly quotable. Man, they give those Grey Gardens girls a run for their crazy. Watch:



L.A. Weekly did an exhaustive story about them years ago.

[Thanks to Gabriel Fleming.]

East West Players—this nation's leading institution for Asian-American artists; this country's longest-running theatre of color; and the organization that launched my career—has a legitimate shot at a $250,000 grant from Pepsi. It just needs to be one of the top two vote-getters (determined by YOU!) by the end of this month. I'm urging you to vote once a day, every day this month. It's super freaking easy—even Pork Chop can do it! Send a text with a message that says 102652 to Pepsi's number at 73774 (You'll get a confirmation text to ensure you did it correctly.) Or if you're still living in the Dark Ages you can vote online—but you might have to click the vote button multiple times before it will actually register. (Look for the "Good job!" notice.) I believe you can even do both every day!

Background and simple instructions are here.

EWP's Pepsi Refresh Project page is here.

If I learned anything from my days at the super gay New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco, it's that, no matter how serious the subject matter of a play, you have to make promises of naked skin in order to ensure robust ticket sales. Sure, you'll end up with a few creepy dudes in the front row who will start moaning in the middle of a rather riveting scene (I'm not making that up!), but, in these tough economic times, there's no difference between normal money and crazy money. Money is money.

So, even though my stage adaptation of Scott Heim's Mysterious Skin is my first serious drama and even though it's thoroughly un-sexy and even though it's not really a "gay play" per se, East West Players made a promo video in which they pulled one of the hot actors aside and said, "Take off your shirt," like he was nothing more than a piece of meat. 'Cuz he is. (You know I love you, David!—I'm just kidding! [But not really.] No, really! [But not really.]) Watch:


[Video Link]

Here's an actual recent text-message transcript between me and my sister:

SISTER: Did ma tell u that you're going to be an uncle?!

PRINCE: WTF?!

SISTER: Yessss your sister is prego!!!

PRINCE: Wow. Congrats. When due?

SISTER: March 30. :) Thanks!!!

PRINCE: Okay. Keep me posted.

SISTER: I will :)

PRINCE: But wait a minute. You're a virgin. How can you be pregnant? Is this like the immaculate conception?

SISTER: Hahahahahaha shut up. I guess I was slutting around and fell on a guy and it happened. Lol

PRINCE: You can get pregnant from public toilet seats.

SISTER: Eww that is sick.

PRINCE: Do you know who the baby daddy is, or do you have to go on Maury?

SISTER: Hahahahahaha!!! Baby daddy is my bf of 9 months... Sheesh.

PRINCE: I'm gonna tell him to take you on Maury anyway.

(No further response from my sister.)

I'm always sort of in awe of designers for play productions because design is so out of the realm of my talent. I mean, I still text friends when I'm in dressing rooms in clothing stores to ask, "I'm buying jeans—how tight is too tight?"

I was especially excited to learn that the set designer for the L.A. premiere production of Mysterious Skin would be Alan E. Muraoka, who worked on East West Players' fantastic production of Art last season. Alan also happens to have been the art director for Little Miss Sunshine and Ghost World, among other distinct-looking movies. Check out an early drawing for his concept for Mysterious Skin (click photo to enlarge):



The actual set is towering and impressive—cold chain-link fencing surrounds everything. It hints at a baseball field from the distant past, as well as the barricades that keep unpleasant memories from reaching the surface of our consciousness.

When your actor friends tell you they're off to do an "industrial," it usually means they've been tapped to be in a cheaply produced corporate training video that the general public will never see. But we're in the age of YouTube, so these employee instruction clips from the '90s—in the form of bad music videos that don't know they're bad—are now available for your viewing pleasure (horror?). I don't think this is meant to be funny. But it is. And it will give you newfound respect for the valiant Wendy's workers who had to probably sit through an entire day of this. Watch:


[Video Link]


[Video Link]

[Thanks to Gabriel Fleming.]