"The Legacy Codes" by Cherylene Lee at The West End Theatre from 29 Oct 2003

Tue 21 Oct 2003 "The Legacy Codes" by Cherylene Lee at The West End Theatre from 29 Oct 2003 Pan Asian Repertory Theatre presents The Legacy Codes by Cherylene Lee at The West End Theatre in St. Paul's Church 86th Street from 29 Oct to 23 Nov 2003 The cast includes Bonnie Black, Lindsey Gates, Wai Ching Ho, Scott Klavan, Jackson Loo,Les J.N. Mau . It is directed by Ron Nakahara, designed by Eric Renschler , lighting by Victor En Yu Tan and costumes by Ingrid Maurer. Inspired by the nuclear espionage case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee, the Chinese-American scientist accused of giving nuclear secrets to the People's Republic of China . SYNOPSIS from the Director Ron Nakahara: THE LEGACY CODES is a play about family relationships: how they are developed or undermined over time; how we pass things on to our children, and how and why we take things from our parents. Dr. Tai Liu, a naturalized Chinese-American physicist, entertains after a long time, Richard Fortier, the son of his mentor. Richard is a Dept. of Energy computer security specialist who is put in charge of Tai�s laboratory. Under the guise of re-vamping the lab�s security and its codes, Richard tries to trap Tai into showing his colors, which Richard assumes to be Chinese, as in spy for China. Richard�s wife, Diane, an FBI agent, meanwhile, in a two-pronged attack, tries and approach through Tai�s wife, Ming, who at one time was asked to report to the CIA about Chinese scientists that she met through her husband�s work, which she did for awhile and then stopped. In the process of trying to entrap and expose Tai, Richard and Diane�s daughter, Minna, falls in love with the Liu�s son, Erling. He responds to her but their developing relationship is strained to the breaking point when her parents try to use her to get information from Erling about his parents. She refuses and tells Erling. Before Erling can tell his father, Tai, in order to preserve the work that Richard�s father had begun and Tai had continued, downloads the codes used in the work. They are called legacy codes. Tai is arrested and interrogated. Erling visits and Tai gives him written directions to the downloaded tapes. Tai feels that if his son can turn his father in, incriminate him, he, Erling, will achieve what Tai was never able to, acceptance as an American. The sacrifice will be worth it. Erling refuses and burns the directions. In a long, emotional confrontation, they come to understand each other better, and accept each other on their own terms.