Paper Angels

Ethnic Heritage Series

From Mel Gussow’s NY Times Review

Chinese immigrants on Angel Island, a California equivalent of Ellis Island, detention is the only reality and ”America is just a far-off place in the mind.” It might be months, or even years, before they are admitted to the United States – and eventually some would be sent back to China to face poverty. The waiting is filled with anger, ennui and regret. In her new play, ”Paper Angels,” at the Henry Street Settlement’s New Federal Theater, Genny Lim sensitively studies this specific and also archetypal immigrant experience. Through a group of eight characters – four men and four women – she shows us the aspirations and the helplessness of people who want to improve their lives at the peril of risking everything, especially their own identity.