Golden Child

David Henry Hwang’s play about his ethnic roots is not an immigration drama. Set in rural China circa 1918, it’s about the unsettling collision between ancient “family values” (like binding the feet of young girls), and the rapid arrival of Western ideas (like Christianity) as well as new, non-Chinese technology. How does a family adapt in topsy-turvy times? Initially, the solutions are gently comic, but things get pretty serious as it becomes clear that adopting Christianity will mean big changes in a Chinese household where the husband has three wives. The Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra (CATS) play also speaks to our times, as our country adapts to rapid change, and we realize it’s important to understand the customs of distant (and strange) countries halfway around the globe.
Nevada Theatre, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, plus a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday February 9. $13-$25 (buy one, get one free ticket on Super Bowl Sunday). 401 Broad Street, (530) 273-6362, www.catsweb.org. Through February 9.