At first glance, Katie Chin’s one-woman show “Holy Shiitake! A Wok Star Is Born” feels like a tough one to relate to for most folks. After all, it’s the story of Chin and her mother, a Chinese immigrant who worked her way from poverty to become a multi-millionaire celebrity restaurateur who counted Carl Pohlad and Sean Connery among her investors.
But after watching opening night Thursday at the History Center in St. Paul, it was quickly apparent that once you strip away the Minnesota Twins owner, 007 and other details, you’re left with a story packed with universal themes. It proves, again and again, that even people from totally different backgrounds are more alike than not and face similar struggles and successes that transcend race, age, economic background and any other number of would-be stumbling blocks.
If nothing else, locals who see “Holy Shiitake!” have probably heard of Chin’s mom, Leeann Chin. She built a restaurant empire, sold it for millions, took it back over and eventually retired and reconnected with Katie. As the show details, the pair found a new depth to their relationship, and that’s what fuels “Holy Shittake!”
Chin speaks of her childhood, with her immigrant parents struggling to build a life in Minneapolis in the ’70s, when the city was far less diverse and Chinese cuisine was largely limited to chop suey, a bland, American invention that lacked the developed flavors and nuances of the real thing.
Leeann Chin worked as a seamstress, earning 50 cents an hour, but getting to know what Katie Chin called the local fashionistas in the process. At one point, the elder Chin threw a luncheon for her best clients who were so wowed by her food, they urged her to go into catering. Chin fills in the rest of the details with the help of bits of period music and vintage family photos and the occasional, well-placed and hilarious expletive.
While Chin took acting lessons, advanced writing classes and worked with professionals to stage the show, she comes off as a total natural on stage. She’s never forced or pushy, but instead warm, personable and relatable. She’s reminiscent of your favorite high school teacher or your cool aunt you can wait to dish with at the holidays. (A note to technical crew at the History Center, it wouldn’t hurt to turn up the sound as Chin speaks in a more natural, less stagey, voice and she could have used a bit of a boost.)
There are plenty of laughs along the way, but the most powerful moment lands midway through the show. Chin puts her hair up in a bun, dons a shawl and essentially becomes her mother. She recreates the moments when both women were adults and the elder Chin told harrowing stories from her childhood she had never before shared. Leeann Chin died from cancer in 2010, but her spirit lives on through this show.
With a running time of 50 minutes, and a post-show reception catered from — where else, but Leeann Chin — “Holy Shiitake!” is a true delight that’s also an easy in for those without much experience watching stage plays. Chin’s stories are so compelling and so perfectly delivered, you’ll leave the theater hungry for more.
‘Holy Shiitake! A Wok Star Is Born’
When: 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Minnesota History Center, 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul
Tickets: $35 via mnhs.org
Capsule: Leeann Chin’s story is more universal than one might guess
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