See Daniel Dae Kim and Ryan Eggold in First-Look Photos of Broadway's “Yellow Face” (Exclusive)

The Roundabout Theatre Company production, now in previews, officially opens Oct. 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre in New York City

Daniel Dae Kim returned to Broadway on Friday, Sept. 13 after nearly a decade away, as performances kicked off for David Henry Hwang's semi-autobiographical play, Yellow Face.

PEOPLE can exclusively debut first-look photos of the play, which also stars New Amsterdam actor Ryan Eggold in his Broadway debut.

The Roundabout Theatre Company production, which officially opens Oct. 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre in New York City, stars Kim, 56, as DHH — a character based off Hwang himself.

Described by Hwang as an "unreliable memoir," the play is inspired by the infamous Miss Saigon casting controversy, which made headlines when the musical transferred from London's West End to Broadway in 1990 with Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce reprising his role of the Engineer, an Eurasian (French-Vietnamese) pimp.

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Hwang, 67, was among many who spoke out about the casting, penning a public letter of protest and saying that Pryce's performance, which he had seen in London, was demeaning to Asians and an affront to the Asian community. Despite the noise, and producer Cameron Mackintosh threatening to cancel the show, Pryce went on and even won the Tony Award for best leading actor in a musical.

Yellow Face starts with DHH making that protest, but then follows the director when he mistakenly casts a white actor as the Asian lead in one of his own plays. Knowing he can't fire him because of his race, he instead scrambles to cover it up.

"He’s trying to do all the right things, but parts of his personality get in the way of making the right decisions," Kim told The New York Times.

Related: Daniel Dae Kim Says His Kids Taught Him What 'Zaddy' Meant: 'They're Happy I Don't Look Like an Old Man'

Directed by Leigh Silverman, the full Yellow Face cast includes Kevin Del Aguila, Francis Jue, Marinda Anderson, B, Greg Keller and Shannon Tyo.

The play first premiered in Los Angeles in May 2007, before transferring Off-Broadway in December of that same year. Productions have been mounted over the years in London (2013), Hong Kong (2016) and Sydney (2021), but this is the first time the show will premiere on Broadway.

“It felt funnier than it did in 2007, and fresher,” Hwang told the Times. “The core issues at the center of the play, representation in casting, what it means to be an actor of color, what it means to get canceled, are so much more at the center of mainstream discourse than they were back then.”

Related: One Last Thing with Daniel Dae Kim: Lost Actor Reveals What Memento He Took from the Set (Exclusive)

And while Kim is known to audiences for his more dramatic roles, in shows like Lost and Hawaii Five-0, Silverman teased to the outlet that theatergoers will soon learn he's "an enormously funny guy." She said, "I’m looking forward to seeing this sweaty, panicked person inside the body of the cool, effervescent Daniel Dae Kim."

"I’ve always loved comedy," added Kim. "But I am aware that people have not usually seen me in this way."

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Tickets for Yellow Face, which officially opens Oct. 1 at the Todd Haimes Theatre, are now on sale. The limited engagement production is currently scheduled through Nov. 24.

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