The show also uses contemporary elements. For example, veteran actor Loong Koon-tin transforms into Trump by donning a blond wig and eyebrows, a technique more akin to modern theater. Traditional makeup routines typically require actors to paint their faces red and white and spend time dressing in elaborate costumes and flashy headpieces.
Loong said he worked hard on getting Trump’s facial expressions and gestures right. “Every time I submerge myself in the role. I am the Donald Trump,” he told CNN.
Other characters like former Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Richard Nixon, as well as China’s Mao Zedong and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, all have a part to play at various junctures of this fictional timeline
Drawing a line between acceptable humor and offensiveness was tricky, Li said, adding that he tried to present a balanced view so that everyone could relate to the show.
“I’m not trying to do anything to arouse any political items,” he said. “My starting point is love and peace. I think everybody will love love and peace.”
Throughout the performance, audience members – many of whom were young – erupt in laughter and applause.
Adiva Zeng, 16, said she was interested in seeing the show because of its depiction of recent geopolitical events in a China-centric context.
“It has Ukraine and has the US, and then they are combining with the Chinese culture to show us what is happening right now. So it kind of catches my eye,” said Zeng.
Li said he would love to take the show to Broadway or elsewhere, though logistics and financing have proven to be a huge hurdle so far.
He said he believed both Trump and Zelensky would appreciate his work given their connection to the showbiz before entering politics. Trump previously hosted reality show “The Apprentice,” while Zelensky was a comedian, actor and writer before taking office, starring in romantic comedies and playing a high school teacher who becomes president in the Ukrainian political satire series, “Servant of the People.”
“Drama is life. Life is drama. And even…politics is drama,” Li said.
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