"Mr. Yunioshi"

“Mr. Yunioshi” will play Sundays, December 5, 12 and 19 at 2PM at Santa Monica Playhouse.

“Mr. Yunioshi” (Hollywood Fringe 2019 Best Solo Performance) written, directed and performed by J. Elijah Cho, produced by Ari Stidham and David Stidham, will have two runs as a guest production of the Santa Monica Playhouse, offering three shows in December.

Mickey Rooney‘s infamous performance as Mr. Yunioshi in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” is often pointed to as the most egregious example of yellowface in the movies. His ‘over the top’ characterization is cringeworthy to watch to this day, but it also raises several questions: Should actors have the opportunity to play ANY role? Could there ever have been a ‘right’ way to play it? And what compels an actor to play a character that they really shouldn’t be playing? Asian-American writer/performer J. Elijah Cho attempts to explore these topics and more in his show.

J. Elijah Cho (he/him) is a writer/actor in Los Angeles by way of Tampa, FL. Upon graduation from the University of South Florida in Tampa, he performed at theatres in the area, including Jobsite, Stageworks, Hat Trick and Tampa Rep. Cho appeared as the character Wonderboy in two seasons of the AMC series “Halt & Catch Fire.” He has also performed his one-man show, Mr. Yunioshi, at the Hollywood and New York Fringe Festivals.