King of the Yees, Lauren Yee’s semi-autobiographical comedy, opens Monday, October 19, 2026, at Signature Theatre’s Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater on West 42nd Street. Kelly Marie Tran stars as Lauren, the playwright’s stand-in, opposite Tony winner Francis Jue as her father. The limited run continues through November 15.
Key Takeaways
- King of the Yees opens October 19 at the Pershing Square Signature Center after previews began October 6, and closes November 15, 2026.
- Kelly Marie Tran, known for playing Rose Tico in the Star Wars sequel films, plays Lauren, a New York playwright searching for her missing father.
- Francis Jue returns as Larry Yee, a role he has played in Chicago and Los Angeles productions of the play.
- Joshua Kahan Brody directs, as he did for the play’s 2017 Chicago premiere.
- The production runs about 2 hours and 10 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
- This is the third Lauren Yee play staged through her Signature Theatre residency, following Mother Russia and Cambodian Rock Band.
King of the Yees Follows a Daughter Into Her Father’s Chinatown
King of the Yees centers on Larry Yee, who has spent nearly two decades as the driving force of the Yee Fung Toy Family Association, a fraternal organization in San Francisco’s Chinatown. His daughter Lauren, a playwright living in New York, sees the association as a relic of a fading era. When Larry suddenly disappears, Lauren sets off to find him, and the search pulls her into the history and myths of her own family line.
Signature Theatre describes the play as a “kind of true” story, and the label fits. Lauren Yee writes a character named Lauren who is writing a play about her father, so the comedy keeps questioning its own reliability. That self-awareness is the engine of the piece. It allows the play to be funny about inheritance while taking seriously the question of what a younger generation owes to institutions it never chose.
Francis Jue Returns to a Role He Has Carried Across the Country
Francis Jue’s return as Larry gives the Signature production unusual continuity. Jue played the role in Chicago and Los Angeles, and Joshua Kahan Brody, who directed the 2017 Chicago premiere, is back at the helm. Few new productions of a contemporary play reunite both the original director and the actor most closely tied to its central role.
Jue arrives at Signature as a Tony winner for Yellow Face. Playing a father whose identity is wrapped up in a community organization, he anchors the emotional side of a play whose structure keeps shifting around him.
Kelly Marie Tran Takes On the Playwright’s Stand-In
Kelly Marie Tran plays Lauren, the role most directly modeled on the playwright herself. Tran is best known on screen as Rose Tico in Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and as the voice of the title character in Raya and the Last Dragon.
The part asks for more than a straightforward lead performance. Because Lauren is both the narrator and a character inside the story, the actor has to step in and out of the play’s frame, guiding the audience one moment and getting swept up in the plot the next.
The ensemble includes David Shih, Maureen Sebastian, and Jon Norman Schneider, who play multiple roles as the search through Chinatown widens.
Lauren Yee’s Signature Residency Reaches Its Third Production
King of the Yees is the third Lauren Yee play produced through her residency at Signature Theatre, after Mother Russia and Cambodian Rock Band. A fourth work commissioned by Signature is expected to complete the arrangement. Yee is based in New York City and was named by American Theatre as one of the country’s most-produced playwrights for the season before the pandemic.
The design team reflects the play’s mix of comedy and the uncanny. Steve Cuiffo is credited with illusions design, and Ka-Ling Cheung serves as dialect coach and Cantonese language consultant. Krit Robinson designed the sets, Michelle J. Li the costumes, Jiyoun Chang the lighting, and Fan Zhang the sound.
Previews began October 6, in the middle of NYC Off-Broadway Week’s two-week run of 2-for-1 tickets to 25 shows, as the fall Off-Broadway calendar filled with new productions. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday until the November 15 closing.
FAQs
What Is King of the Yees About?
King of the Yees follows Lauren, a New York playwright, whose father Larry disappears from San Francisco’s Chinatown, where he has long led the Yee Fung Toy Family Association. Her search for him becomes a journey through her family’s history and myths. Lauren Yee wrote the comedy as a semi-autobiographical, “kind of true” story.
Who Are the Actors in the Play King of the Yees?
The Signature Theatre production stars Kelly Marie Tran as Lauren and Francis Jue as Larry Yee. David Shih, Maureen Sebastian, and Jon Norman Schneider complete the cast in multiple roles.
How Long Is King of the Yees?
King of the Yees runs about 2 hours and 10 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. The limited engagement continues through November 15, 2026.
Where Is King of the Yees Playing in New York?
King of the Yees plays at the Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theater inside the Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street in Manhattan. Performances run Tuesday through Sunday.
Who Is Lauren Yee?
Lauren Yee is a New York City-based playwright, screenwriter, and librettist, and a resident playwright at Signature Theatre. Her plays include Cambodian Rock Band, Mother Russia, and King of the Yees.
