Laowang: A Chinatown King Lear centers on A-Poh, a revered Chinatown restaurateur facing the dual threats of gentrification and memory loss. When a high-rise developer targets her long-standing business, A-Poh summons her three grandchildren—scattered across the country—to devise a resistance. But as her mind begins to slip, so too does the boundary between the present and the mythic. 

Written by Alex Lin, the play reimagines Shakespeare’s King Lear through the lens of Asian American identity and the ongoing erasure of ethnic neighborhoods in urban America. Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody (co-artistic director, The Assembly), the production blends realism with magical elements, reflecting A-Poh’s inner disorientation and emotional landscape. The result is a narrative that fuses classical themes with contemporary urgency, using memory, myth, and madness to expose the human cost of displacement.

Produced by Primary Stages, the Resident Off-Broadway Theater Company at 59E59 Theaters, the production is supported by The Andrew Leynse Legacy Project, with additional funding from leading arts institutions including The Howard Gilman Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.