Seattle Children's Theatre - YOUNG DRAGON A BRUCE LEE STORY Feburary 19 through March 22, 2026 Preview Review
YOUNG DRAGON
Initially, I was going to write my review of this show as I would typically do. But, this show is anything but typical so I’m going to write it as if you were sitting directly across from me and had asked the question, “So Mark - how was the show?”
Anyone and everyone coming into this show will have varying degrees of knowledge of the iconic and legendary Bruce Lee. Some will have had actual personal experience with him, some will be longtime admirers of his work, some will only recognize the name, and others will know nothing about him. And that’s just a portion of the spectrum of Bruce Lee knowledge and experience each patron will bring to the show at the Seattle Children’s Theatre.
For me, being born and raised in the area, with parents that grew up in the city of Seattle during Bruce Lee’s formative years in the same, great, city, I always felt like I knew Bruce Lee as one of the stewards of the city. When it comes to traits of Seattle, what do people think about in 2026? Rain. Pike Place Market and/or the salmon tossing, the Space Needle, perhaps coffee, tech companies, and the like.
When it comes to people associated with Seattle, well, it depends on who you ask. Music lovers will quote all of the grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and also Jimi Hendrix, Heart, maybe Queensryche, and the like. Sports lovers will quote the champion Seattle Super Sonics as well as certain players from other years such as Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, the two time champion Seattle Seahawks as well as other former players such as Steve Largent, Dave Wyman, Matt Hasselbeck, etc. The four time champion Seattle Storm, including Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, etc. You get the idea.
But there are others that stand alone and Bruce Lee is absolutely one of them. Outside of his family and close friends and students, no one else is mentioned in the same breath as Bruce Lee as a person that Seattle holds in such high esteem for all of these years. Even though his success came after his time in Seattle, the city was an important foundational part of his life and career, to the point that he was laid to rest here in Seattle.
I would also point out, shifting gears, that I have never reviewed a children’s theatre production. Ever. So, the preview performance last night was a few firsts for me which only added to my anticipation of the show.
The over the PA introduction of the show to welcome everyone to the theatre cleverly featured some of the music you would have heard in the introduction of some of Bruce Lee’s films (aka Golden Harvest). I chuckled to myself when I heard that and a quick nod to the creatives for putting that easter egg into the program. It was a delightful touch.
Young Dragon - A Bruce Lee Story focuses on his years in Seattle, with some references to his life in Hong Kong as well. This is not a beginning to end story of his life so just be aware of that fact.
What first struck me about the show was just how much of Bruce Lee’s story director Jess Mcleod managed to get into the performance. There were so many scene changes that I couldn’t keep track of all of them. And let me tell you, they were seamless.
With a cast of five actors, almost everyone on the stage had to play multiple characters and in many cases, scene to scene, with no breaks. The offstage costume changes must have been crazy for both the actors and the behind the scenes folks.
Additionally, the way playwright Keiko Green managed to capture the humor, the drama, and the inspiration through Bruce Lee’s journey all the while making it palatable for both children and adults, this part truly amazed me. I didn’t really know what to expect from a play geared towards children. And, after having seen it, I don’t believe it’s geared toward children at all. It’s geared toward people of all ages. And that, to me, is a tall order. So, many kudos to Ms. Green for writing such a profound work but also making it so accessible to every patron.
The cast. My goodness I could write several paragraphs about the talent that was on that stage last night. Khanh Doan (Ruby and others), Michelangelo Hyeon (Bruce Lee), Jocelyn Maher (Linda and others), Arlando Smith (Jesse and others), and Michael Wu (Dad and others).
The seamless work that these fine actors portrayed on stage last night was really a sight to see. I personally love watching plays where the actors are playing several characters in the same show. I just stare in amazement as they change wardrobe, change accents, change physicality of each character, and still interact with their fellow actors on stage, hitting their marks and their dialogue. If there were any mistakes, only the cast and creatives know, I couldn’t tell at all.
And to go from comedy to drama all within the same scene, again, as different characters, was just marvelous. I can’t say enough good things about this cast.
And what I’m sure you all want to know - how was Michelangelo Hyeon as Bruce Lee?
He was nothing short of brilliant, that’s how he was!
Mr. Hyeon had the near impossible task of portraying a formative Bruce Lee on a stage - live - in front of a wide mix of patrons - both in age and in knowledge/experience of the actual Bruce Lee. In many ways any actor would be almost doomed to fail in such a role. With television and film, you can do take after take, you can do things in post processing to make things appear “better” than they actually were on camera. But, live theatre has no such luxury. As they say you’re performing live without a net. Mr. Hyeon didn’t need a net. He captured the physical embodiment of Bruce Lee. He captured his mannerisms but not without going overboard where things would become a parody. He clearly trained to get his body in the best shape for the role (look at any of the photos of him from the show - damn). And he trained in different martial arts so those sequences would look real and authentic. And trust me they did. Holy moly they did!
The creatives who cast him struck actor gold with Michelangelo Hyeon (btw thank you to Maile for some of the backstory about Mr.Hyeon before the show - it was great meeting you). The greatest compliment I can give him is that, to me, he embodied the spirit of Bruce Lee. That is very, very hard to do with any character portrayal. When an actor can take the material and the character and make the audience believe that they are actually watching the actual person they are portraying, that is next level stuff. And Mr. Michelangelo Hyeon did just that. The production is so very fortunate to have him in its lead role.
The staging and wardrobe was top notch as well. It truly immersed the audience into the world of Bruce Lee. How those departments came up with such designs and managed to pull them off in such an intimate space is beyond me. Kudos all around for all the work those teams did.
I feel like I’m rambling at this point but suffice to say, Young Dragon - A Bruce Lee Story - is a major triumph for all involved. This show is not only worth seeing but it’s worth continuing on a lengthy journey around the US (and hopefully around the world).
Seattle is the world premiere of this production so that means all of us locals need to get all of these performances sold out. It will help the creatives sell this show to other cities by using us as a factual analytic that will make other companies want to bring the show to their town/state/country.
Before I sign off, I wanted to mention that I do believe this was the first time I’ve ever attended a play or musical where some of the actual family and friends of the actual family being portrayed were in attendance, watching the show for the very first time themselves. I’ve attended film premieres where the creatives (director, producer, screenwriter, actors, etc) were in attendance but nothing like last night where, for example, Linda (played by Jocelyn Maher) could look in the front row and see the actual Linda Lee Cadwell watching her performance. Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee was two seats over from her mom also watching the performance. Members of Ruby Chow’s family were in attendance as well.
There was a question and answer with the cast after the performance. Shannon Lee asked great questions of the cast and Linda Lee Caldwell toward the very end gave her compliments to the cast and humorously mentioned it was a little eerie watching herself being portrayed on stage. Arlando Smith (who played Jason and others) mentioned what a huge Bruce Lee fan he was so to be a part of a production like this was like a bucket list type of moment. And, perhaps, one of the funniest reactions was Michael Wu (who played Dad and others) when Shannon Lee pointed out to him and the cast that her mom was sitting right there in the front row. His eyes got big and he let out a surprising and respectful, “whooooooooooah”.
I’ve said enough. Young Dragon - A Bruce Lee Story is a must see. Period. End of story. Go see it. Tell your friends about it. Go see it again with said friends. And then see it again. I’ll see you there to relive the magic all over again!
Highest recommendation!
A Bruce Lee Story
Written by Keiko Green
Directed by Jess Mcleod
Seattle Children's Theatre
Seattle, WA
February 19th through March 22, 2026
Preview Performance Review: Thursday February 19, 2026
Written by Keiko Green
Directed by Jess Mcleod
Seattle Children's Theatre
Seattle, WA
February 19th through March 22, 2026
Preview Performance Review: Thursday February 19, 2026
(Seattle Children's Theatre)
(All photos credit: Truman Buffett)
Anyone and everyone coming into this show will have varying degrees of knowledge of the iconic and legendary Bruce Lee. Some will have had actual personal experience with him, some will be longtime admirers of his work, some will only recognize the name, and others will know nothing about him. And that’s just a portion of the spectrum of Bruce Lee knowledge and experience each patron will bring to the show at the Seattle Children’s Theatre.
For me, being born and raised in the area, with parents that grew up in the city of Seattle during Bruce Lee’s formative years in the same, great, city, I always felt like I knew Bruce Lee as one of the stewards of the city. When it comes to traits of Seattle, what do people think about in 2026? Rain. Pike Place Market and/or the salmon tossing, the Space Needle, perhaps coffee, tech companies, and the like.
When it comes to people associated with Seattle, well, it depends on who you ask. Music lovers will quote all of the grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and also Jimi Hendrix, Heart, maybe Queensryche, and the like. Sports lovers will quote the champion Seattle Super Sonics as well as certain players from other years such as Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, the two time champion Seattle Seahawks as well as other former players such as Steve Largent, Dave Wyman, Matt Hasselbeck, etc. The four time champion Seattle Storm, including Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson, etc. You get the idea.
But there are others that stand alone and Bruce Lee is absolutely one of them. Outside of his family and close friends and students, no one else is mentioned in the same breath as Bruce Lee as a person that Seattle holds in such high esteem for all of these years. Even though his success came after his time in Seattle, the city was an important foundational part of his life and career, to the point that he was laid to rest here in Seattle.
(All photos credit: Truman Buffett)
I would also point out, shifting gears, that I have never reviewed a children’s theatre production. Ever. So, the preview performance last night was a few firsts for me which only added to my anticipation of the show.
The over the PA introduction of the show to welcome everyone to the theatre cleverly featured some of the music you would have heard in the introduction of some of Bruce Lee’s films (aka Golden Harvest). I chuckled to myself when I heard that and a quick nod to the creatives for putting that easter egg into the program. It was a delightful touch.
Young Dragon - A Bruce Lee Story focuses on his years in Seattle, with some references to his life in Hong Kong as well. This is not a beginning to end story of his life so just be aware of that fact.
What first struck me about the show was just how much of Bruce Lee’s story director Jess Mcleod managed to get into the performance. There were so many scene changes that I couldn’t keep track of all of them. And let me tell you, they were seamless.
With a cast of five actors, almost everyone on the stage had to play multiple characters and in many cases, scene to scene, with no breaks. The offstage costume changes must have been crazy for both the actors and the behind the scenes folks.
Additionally, the way playwright Keiko Green managed to capture the humor, the drama, and the inspiration through Bruce Lee’s journey all the while making it palatable for both children and adults, this part truly amazed me. I didn’t really know what to expect from a play geared towards children. And, after having seen it, I don’t believe it’s geared toward children at all. It’s geared toward people of all ages. And that, to me, is a tall order. So, many kudos to Ms. Green for writing such a profound work but also making it so accessible to every patron.
The cast. My goodness I could write several paragraphs about the talent that was on that stage last night. Khanh Doan (Ruby and others), Michelangelo Hyeon (Bruce Lee), Jocelyn Maher (Linda and others), Arlando Smith (Jesse and others), and Michael Wu (Dad and others).
The seamless work that these fine actors portrayed on stage last night was really a sight to see. I personally love watching plays where the actors are playing several characters in the same show. I just stare in amazement as they change wardrobe, change accents, change physicality of each character, and still interact with their fellow actors on stage, hitting their marks and their dialogue. If there were any mistakes, only the cast and creatives know, I couldn’t tell at all.
And to go from comedy to drama all within the same scene, again, as different characters, was just marvelous. I can’t say enough good things about this cast.
And what I’m sure you all want to know - how was Michelangelo Hyeon as Bruce Lee?
He was nothing short of brilliant, that’s how he was!
Mr. Hyeon had the near impossible task of portraying a formative Bruce Lee on a stage - live - in front of a wide mix of patrons - both in age and in knowledge/experience of the actual Bruce Lee. In many ways any actor would be almost doomed to fail in such a role. With television and film, you can do take after take, you can do things in post processing to make things appear “better” than they actually were on camera. But, live theatre has no such luxury. As they say you’re performing live without a net. Mr. Hyeon didn’t need a net. He captured the physical embodiment of Bruce Lee. He captured his mannerisms but not without going overboard where things would become a parody. He clearly trained to get his body in the best shape for the role (look at any of the photos of him from the show - damn). And he trained in different martial arts so those sequences would look real and authentic. And trust me they did. Holy moly they did!
The creatives who cast him struck actor gold with Michelangelo Hyeon (btw thank you to Maile for some of the backstory about Mr.Hyeon before the show - it was great meeting you). The greatest compliment I can give him is that, to me, he embodied the spirit of Bruce Lee. That is very, very hard to do with any character portrayal. When an actor can take the material and the character and make the audience believe that they are actually watching the actual person they are portraying, that is next level stuff. And Mr. Michelangelo Hyeon did just that. The production is so very fortunate to have him in its lead role.
The staging and wardrobe was top notch as well. It truly immersed the audience into the world of Bruce Lee. How those departments came up with such designs and managed to pull them off in such an intimate space is beyond me. Kudos all around for all the work those teams did.
(All photos credit: Truman Buffett)
I feel like I’m rambling at this point but suffice to say, Young Dragon - A Bruce Lee Story - is a major triumph for all involved. This show is not only worth seeing but it’s worth continuing on a lengthy journey around the US (and hopefully around the world).
Seattle is the world premiere of this production so that means all of us locals need to get all of these performances sold out. It will help the creatives sell this show to other cities by using us as a factual analytic that will make other companies want to bring the show to their town/state/country.
Before I sign off, I wanted to mention that I do believe this was the first time I’ve ever attended a play or musical where some of the actual family and friends of the actual family being portrayed were in attendance, watching the show for the very first time themselves. I’ve attended film premieres where the creatives (director, producer, screenwriter, actors, etc) were in attendance but nothing like last night where, for example, Linda (played by Jocelyn Maher) could look in the front row and see the actual Linda Lee Cadwell watching her performance. Bruce Lee’s daughter Shannon Lee was two seats over from her mom also watching the performance. Members of Ruby Chow’s family were in attendance as well.
There was a question and answer with the cast after the performance. Shannon Lee asked great questions of the cast and Linda Lee Caldwell toward the very end gave her compliments to the cast and humorously mentioned it was a little eerie watching herself being portrayed on stage. Arlando Smith (who played Jason and others) mentioned what a huge Bruce Lee fan he was so to be a part of a production like this was like a bucket list type of moment. And, perhaps, one of the funniest reactions was Michael Wu (who played Dad and others) when Shannon Lee pointed out to him and the cast that her mom was sitting right there in the front row. His eyes got big and he let out a surprising and respectful, “whooooooooooah”.
I’ve said enough. Young Dragon - A Bruce Lee Story is a must see. Period. End of story. Go see it. Tell your friends about it. Go see it again with said friends. And then see it again. I’ll see you there to relive the magic all over again!
Highest recommendation!
Information and tickets: HERE (opens in a new window)
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media and Email Links
IN PERSON VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MS. SHANNON LEE
VIRTUAL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MR. MICHELANGELO HYEON (Bruce Lee)
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