Based on C.Y. Lee’s 1957 novel, Flower Drum Song played its first performance at the St. James Theatre on December 1, 1958. The production made history: It was the first time a Broadway cast featured a majority of Asian-American actors, singers and dancers. Following over a thousand performances on Broadway and the West End, Universal Pictures released the film adaptation on November 9, 1961, starring Miyoshi Umeki, Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta and Jack Soo. Then, more than forty years later, Flower Drum Song made a triumphant return to Broadway with a revised book by Tony winner David Henry Hwang. The revival, which opened on October 17, 2002, starred Lea Salonga, Sandra Allen and Jose Llana.