BD Wong is taking 'The Great Leap' into directing

LOS ANGELES - BD Wong is, once again, deep in rehearsals for "The Great Leap." The Pasadena Playhouse's production of Lauren Yee's play is opening in a few weeks, and the cast is running through its penultimate scene: a U.S.-China exhibition basketball game in 1989. It's layered and complex and extremely fast-paced - in line delivery and in blocking - and serves as the dramatic climax. The entire sequence spans 20 pages, and actors are flipping through them quickly to keep up with the pace of the scene.

But Wong's script, lying open on a music stand, remains untouched. Having starred in two previous versions of the play, he knows every line by heart. And this time, he's calling the shots in his new role: director.

"Very good - very, very good," he tells