Yellow Fever (play)

Yellow Fever is a play by R. A. Shiomi, which takes place on Powell Street in Japantown, Vancouver, a gathering place for the local Japanese-Canadian culture. Set in the 1970s, the Sam Spade-like main character, Sam Shikaze, must work to unravel the mysteries that surround him. First produced by the Pan Asian Repertory Theatre in 1982, it received positive reviews and had a successful run off-Broadway.

Plot summary
Sam Shikaze, a smooth private eye, narrates his own story about what happened when he was hired to find the missing Cherry Blossom Queen. He is soon trapped in a web of racism and political intrigue that seems to lead back to the Hong Kong tongs. Chuck Chan is a lawyer who tried to help solve the case, while Nancy Wing is a beautiful reporter who is searching for a story. Captain Kadota, an old friend of Sam's, offers his aid as a member of the police force, although Sam and Kadota do not see eye-to-eye on politics.


 * Characters and actors in the premier production:


 * Sam Shikaze (Donald Li)
 * Rosie (Carol Honda)
 * Goldberg (James Jenner)
 * Chuck Chan (Henry Yuk)
 * Nancy Wing (Freda Foh Shen)
 * Sergeant Mackenzie (Jeffrey Spolan)
 * Capt. Kenji Kadota (Ernest Abuba)
 * Superintendent Jameson (James Jenner)

Presented by the Pan Asian Repertory Theater:
 * Raul Aranasm, stage director
 * Tisa Chang, artistic director
 * Susan Socolowski, administrative director

Awards and honors

 * 1982: Bay Area Theater Circle Critics Award
 * 1982: "Bernie" for new play from the San Francisco Chronicle
 * 1983: Obie Award to Ernest Abuba for performance