Wai (Wai Yim) is the flamboyant, brash host of a YouTube show called Hornyscope; David (Hansel Tan) is his buttoned-up friend, who works as a teacher but wants to be an actor. Both men are frustrated by the limitations that being Asian and gay in America has put on their prospects. When David accidentally wanders through the path of Wai’s webcam while Hornyscope is on-air, it causes a small sensation and David reluctantly agrees to become Wai’s costar.

Zac Efron
Through 7/21: Thu-Sat 7 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Wed 6/26 7 PM (celebration of Gay Pride Chicago) and Mon 7/1 7 PM (industry), no performances Sun 6/30 or Thu 7/4; A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells, tokentheatre.net, $40 (industry/seniors $25, students/military $20)

In classic rom-com style, the pair can’t see they belong together, though it’s obvious to everyone else in their lives. An on-air kiss—staged as a stunt to gain enough followers to get corporate sponsorship—leads to an irrevocable change in Wai and David’s relationship.

This is Token Theatre’s inaugural show (written by David Rhee and Yim and directed by Alan Muraoka), and they throw everything but the kitchen sink at what is, at heart, a simple story. The tone oscillates from over-the-top camp comedy to heartfelt drama in sometimes jarring ways. The play is at its best when addressing the generational divide between the men and their respective Chinese and Korean parents, rather than listing the inequities their race and orientation subject them to. The first feels lived-in and felt, while the other, though undoubtedly valid, comes off as talking points. The sincere moments, especially toward the end, are the most compelling. By that time, the earlier slapstick is mostly forgotten.

This is an ambitious new theater company, and I look forward to what they do next.