New Coat of Paint for Old Pagoda
Ben BrantleyOctober 18, 2002: IF any girl needed a makeover in the competitive, fast-changing world of big-time musicals, it was Mei-Li, the winsome little heroine of Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Flower Drum Song.'' As embodied by Miyoshi Umeki in the original Broadway and film versions of the show some 40 years ago, this newly arrived Chinese immigrant was so quaintly modest, it was scary, with her downcast eyes and submissive stoop. What's more, she kept saying embarrassing things like ''My back is wet'' (read: ''I'm a wetback'') in a thick accent.
Please note: To view this review you may need to log in to a free New York Times account.