A POWER LUNCH WITH
KNIVES UNDER THE TABLE

Ambition, rivalry, and assimilation
simmer in Alex Lin’s sharp corporate comedy

There are ordinary lunches, and then there are Chinese Republicans lunches, the subject of a new play by Alex Lin, directed by Chay Yew at Roundabout Theatre Company’s Laura Pels Theatre. In it, four high-achieving Chinese-American women regularly assemble in a Chinatown restaurant, but we never actually see them eat. The fresh fish and delicious turnip cake exist only in conversation, yet their rivalry is all over the table. Month after month, for three-quarters of a year, they gather to celebrate wins, dispense guidance, and slip in subtle jabs that would make their investment firm’s HR department cringe.

Jodi Long, Jennifer Ikeda and Jully Lee

Katie (Anna Zavelson), the youngest—a bright 24-year-old newly minted as Senior Research Associate in Wealth Strategies—is wide-eyed and hopeful, thinking out loud while the veterans silently calculate how fast, or if, she will ever bloom. Her mentor Ellen (Jennifer Ikeda, who inhabits the role fully) is unshakable and dignified, though beneath the composure lies a private emptiness. A Managing Director, she is modern, committed to her job, and wields Katie’s mentorship like a benevolent scalpel. She herself was mentored by Phyllis in her early years—though the word “mentored” feels generous. The dynamic seems to have been less a guiding hand than a torturous ritual.

Jully Lee (Iris) and Anna Zavelson (Katie)

Ellen doesn’t attack Phyllis (Jodi Long) directly during the lunches; she simply undermines her. Phyllis is a defensive traditionalist—a pragmatic, ruthless woman. Former Head of Investments, now Executive Consultant, she is unapologetically blunt after having “been around the block one or two (or three) times,” driven by a deep need for validation and the preservation of her status. In her mind she wasn’t replaced because of age; she was promoted. Long makes Phyllis cling to power and identity the way some people cling to an ex’s last name, striding effortlessly in high heels and tailored couture, coiffed into corporate perfection, performing authority as if it were muscle memory. Classic insecurity masked as superiority. Phyllis fears being eclipsed; Ellen fears never being fully acknowledged.

Jennifer Ikeda (Ellen/Ailin) and Anna Zavelson (Katie)

Then we have Iris (Jully Lee), the only Chinese immigrant. On paper she is a brilliant tech engineer at a famed New York investment firm, but in reality she is living on a countdown clock. Her visa is expiring, her green card depends on her employment, and one HR decision could turn the company building entrance into a departure gate. When she lashes out about an email sent without approval, she isn’t overreacting: in her world, compliance is self-preservation rather than company allegiance. Reminding her colleagues that she is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and four dialects—that she knows history, geography, and technical realities about China they ignore—is not arrogance but proof of merit, skills never acknowledged by the three women or the company. Lee brings impressive depth to the character’s progression, guiding the unassuming engineer toward a significant reveal.

Ben Langhorst (Waiter) and Jennifer Ikeda (Ellen/Ailin)

While men are constantly talked about (and phoned), only one ever appears in person. Ben Langhorst, as the waiter, pops in, cracks a few lines, and disappears again, leaving the room smiling. Wilson Chin’s set neatly captures the intimate charm of an upscale Chinatown restaurant, while Anita Yavich’s costumes broadcast each personality with playful precision. More restrained but equally effective are Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew’s lighting and Fabian Obispo’s original music and sound design.

Jennifer Ikeda (Ellen/Ailin) and Jully Lee (Iris)

Lin’s script alternates smoothly between humor and the harsher realities of modern, unbridled capitalism. At one point, while smiling, Ellen explains to young Katie that the company is about to fire 92 percent of their colleagues—they are “optimizing efficiency.” She is enthusiastic about the move because it will make the company trillions “and us partners,” utterly blind to the human consequences. Lin also explores the pressures of assimilation, generational friction, and the workplace as a war zone shaped by gender. Yet she keeps the tone light and amusing despite the weight of these themes. Delightful and a bit spicy, Chinese Republicans is the kind of lunch you actually want to linger over—because the menu comes with plenty of ego and a side of dangerous, mindless ambition, a meal we have all been eating for quite some time.

Jodi Long (Phyllis/Young Phyllis), Jennifer Ikeda (Ellen/Ailin),
Anna Zavelson (Katie) and Jully Lee (Iris)

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photos by Joan Marcus

Chinese Republicans
Roundabout Theatre Company
Laura Pels Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center, 111 West 46th St
95 minutes, no intermission
Tues-Sat at 7:30; Wed and Sat at 2; Sun at 3
ends on April 5, 2026
for tickets, call 833.274.8497 or visit Roundabout

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Jennifer Ikeda (Ellen/Ailin) and Jodi Long (Phyllis/Young Phyllis)