From NYT Best-Seller List to SCR Stage

by Soyia Ellison

Adeline Yen Mah’s best-selling book Falling Leaves is coming to SCR.

Mah has turned her inspiring memoir into a play, which will have its first staged reading Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 7:30pm as part of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County’s Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture.

Mah was born into a wealthy Chinese family in 1937. Her mother died two weeks after giving birth to her, leaving her to be raised by her father’s beautiful and cruel new wife. After winning a playwriting competition at age 14, she went to study in England. Eventually, she became a doctor and established a thriving medical practice in Southern California.

Mah's memoir is a compelling, heartrending, and ultimately triumphant story of a girl's journey into adulthood, and a testament to the most basic of human needs: acceptance, love and understanding. Or as Amazon.com’s reviewer called it “an Asian Mommy Dearest,” with a happy ending.

The book proved so popular—selling more than one million copies—that Mah quit medicine to devote more time to writing. She has since published Chinese Cinderella; China: Land of Dragons and Emperors and Watching the Tree.

SCR’s staged reading is part of the Philharmonic Society’s six-week festival, presented in partnership with Carnegie Hall, which celebrates China’s diverse culture and influence. It includes musical and theatrical performances, art exhibits and film screenings.

The reading takes place at 7:30pm, Tuesday, Nov. 17, on the Argyros Stage. Tickets are $15 and are available online here or by calling the box office at (714) 708-5555.

For more information about the Philharmonic’s Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture, including a complete schedule of events, visit www.philharmonicsociety.org.

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