David Henry Hwang's new comedy, Chinglish, which opened on Broadway last week, explores the often-hilarious misunderstandings that separate the United States and China - not only through linguistic mistranslations but also through navigating major cultural differences. The show, directed by Leigh Silverman, premiered in Chicago over the summer. It centers on a hapless businessman from Cleveland, who hopes to score a big contract in China for his sign-making company. Negotiations are conducted mostly in Chinese, with inept translators.

His "small, family-run firm" becomes "a tiny, insignificant" company from the "small village" of Cleveland.

Stephen Pucci and Jennifer Lim star in the new Broadway comedy Chinglish. Photos by Michael McCabe / For China Daily

When the American, Daniel Cavanaugh (played by Gary Wilmes), pleads that his hands are tied, his listeners are told that he's "into bondage".

Subtitles of exact translations are projected on the walls of the set, so the audience can appreciate the misunderstandings as they occur.

Much of the comedy works because of the light-hearted authenticity Hwang has brought to the play, taking care to create multidimensional characters.

"Sometimes, you get the correct translation, but you still don't fully understand what the other person is saying," the playwright tells China Daily.

"The concepts, and the way the different cultures understand and view different ideas like love (and) honesty, can be very different. But, ultimately, I hope that it's very evenhanded, in terms of: Yes, we make fun of the Chinese, but we also make fun of the Americans."

As he puts it: "No one is a hero and no one is a villain. Everyone has virtues and everyone has flaws. That's the best way to combat stereotypes - not to present characters who are one-dimensionally good, or simply heroes - but who are human, whom we can all identify with."

Hwang is best known for his 1988 play M. Butterfly, which won a Tony Award for best play and a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize, the US' highest literary honor.

A scene from Chinglish.