"Cambodian Rock Band" at Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Oregon Shakespeare Festival photo by Jenny Graham

It's time for the annual trip to Ashland for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This year is a little different for us because our daughter did kind of an advance scouting trip with her high school back in April, so she saw several of the shows that we were already planning to see, including this first show of the weekend, Cambodian Rock Band, by Lauren Yee.

We saw another show by Yee earlier this year at SF Playhouse, called King of the Yees. That's a very different show, but does have some interesting commonalities, especially the relationship between a father and daughter (a personal story in the case of Yees). But this is a much deeper, darker story.

The Play

Although the play starts in 2008, it quickly harkens back to the 1970s, specifically to the period just as Cambodia falls to the Khmer Rouge, and the horrible situation that ensued. But prior to that, we learn there was a thriving musical scene, and the play follows musicians from one band all the way through.

It's a really fascinating, lively show that includes both fun music (in both English and Cambodian) and comical interactions in the present day that mask some of the intense struggles that lie buried in the past. I have to say that despite some similarities in the father-daughter portrayal from Yee's other work, this is a much more complete, polished work. I'm quite impressed with this piece of writing.

The Production

Wow. There are some amazing portrayals here. Joe Ngo as Chum is phenomenal--not only does he portray his character at two very different ages, seamlessly slipping back and forth with changes in physical and verbal behavior, but he also plays guitar and sings in both English and Cambodian. It's an impressive performance. Similarly, his foil Duch (Daisuke Tsuji) is amazingly physical (though his musical performances are considerably less demanding), and the emotional scenes between them are just wrenching. Add in the third key member of that trio from the past, Ted Lang (Moses Villarama), and you've got an amazing group.

That's not to slight the rest of the cast--they are all terrific--but those three form the key dramatic core of the show. As we bounce back and forth from rock concert to Khmer Rouge prison, the simple but elegant set serves as an excellent frame for the story.

Bottom Line

What a great start to the weekend! This is one of the outstanding shows I've seen at Ashland, and that bar is pretty high. It's remarkably sparse in its design and execution but extremely expressive. It's just a terrific piece of complex theater.

I could go on, but the message is pretty simple: great show. Go see it.