Acting With Wings Hiroyuki Liao Gives Tour de Force Performance in ëM. Butterflyí by Lisa Troshinsky Arena Stageís "M. Butterfly" is important for several reasons. The script is one of the first works by an Asian-American playwright (David Henry Hwang) to earn wide acclaim, and it dares to explore complex human relationships by looking at sexuality, gender and racial stereotypes, as well as cross-cultural and political ties. But the major accomplishment of this production, directed by Tazewell Thompson, is that it showcases the extraordinary acting talent of recent Juilliard grad J. Hiroyuki Liao. Liaoís dramatic and flashy performance of Song Liling, a Chinese male spy in the guise of a beautiful and alluring Chinese opera star, puts the guts in a script that is a bit too preachy and repetitive (although it won Hwang numerous awards for its Broadway debut in 1988) and a too-long performance by Arena that exceeded the advertised time length by half an hour. Most of the other actorsóincluding Stephen Bogardus, who won a Tony nomination and an Obie Award for his Broadway performance in "Love! Valor! Compassion!" and who plays Rene Gallimard, the French diplomat who falls i n love with Lilingópale in comparison to Liao. Although Bogardusís character is agonizingly insensitive to the culture in which he finds himself, his recollections of his time with Liling, told through flashbacks, are bland and fight to hold our interest. Itís not until the entrance of Liao, with his clear and stylized speech and traditional, choreographed dance movements with flourishing arms, does the play pick up. Secondary characters do little for the play, save for Brigid Cleary, an Arena Stage veteran, who spices up the bit part of Helga, Gallimardís wife. And Ako gives a strong, comedic performance as Comrade Chin/Suzuki. Based on a true incident of international espionage, "M. Butterfly" charts the decades-long affair between Liling and Gallimard, and is a reversal of the 1904 opera "Madama Butterfly" that was based on the true story of a Japanese woman who commits suicide after she is spurned by an American suitor. "M. Butterfly," also based on the true story of a long-lasting affair between a French diplomat and his Chinese lover, tells the story of Gallimard, who is spurned (in the "feminine" role) when he discovers that his mistress Liling is a male spy, and Gallimard is ultimately convicted of treason. The play exposes prejudices on two levels: the personal and the political. Told as flashbacks in the first-person narrative by Gallimard in jail, it explores the assumptions Westerners make about the East. Gallimard in fact stakes his diplomatic career on the assumption that, as he says, "Orientals will always submit to a greater force." "Just as Gallimard ignores the complexities of other cultures at the expense of his diplomatic careerópredicting that China will open to Western trade and that the communists will eventually be defeated in Indochina," wrote Arena Stage Dramaturg Michelle Hall, "he believes true masculinity means exerting power over a beautiful woman Ö and is blinded by his desire for the ëOrientalí as a submissive, idealized ëotherí over whom he should hold power." Liling tries to reveal Gallimardís bias that the East, like a woman, wants to be dominated when she explains to Gallimard that he wouldnít think "Madama Butterfly" was a beautiful love story if the tale were about a busty, American blonde who committed suicide after being shunned by a short, ugly Chinese businessman. "You would think the American woman was an idiot," Liling quipsóone example of the playís dark humor. The line by the French ambassador, referring to the Vietnamese: "Americans love to know that they are welcome," is particularly ironic in light of the current American presence in Iraq. But the wit ultimately turns to lecture as the Asians make all of the politically correct statements and epiphanies, while the Americans pose as xenophobic, sexist, imperialist goons. Donald Eastmanís sparse set in the Fichandler Theateróbasically just an off-white raised platformóis not that interesting, except for how Robert Wierzelís lighting conveys the four walls of Gallimardís prison cell. Carrie Robbinsís costumes, particularly Lilingís kimonos, are exquisite. "M. Butterfly" runs through Oct. 17 at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St., NW. Tickets are $40 to $59. For more information, please call (202) 488-3300 or visit www.arena-stage.org. Lisa Troshinsky is the theater reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.