The Pittsburgh Tatler: Lauren Yee’s new play Cambodian Rock Band is one of the most-produced plays in the 2019-20 American theater season; Yee herself is the second-most produced playwright this year. That’s welcome news, not only because it is evidence that the American theater is making more space for works by women and writers of color, but also because it demonstrates a recognition that regional theater audiences are hungry for stories that explore an expanded diversity of lives and experiences.
3 comments:
Right near its opening, I got to go see Cambodian Rock Band at the City Theater. It was such an incredible experience. Previously, I have had no knowledge of Cambodia or its culture. Actually getting to see a setting that I have never experienced or even thought to experience was a great experience. This show is considered a play with music. It follows a storyline of a daughter and her fathers experiences in the Cambodian Genocide. What is very exciting about it is that thougout figuring out what happened to the lady's father, there are scenes that turn the setting into a "Cambodian rock concert." Somehow, without pulling you out too much, you become more involved with the story by experience this very important cultural part of Cambodia that is so often left out: the music. It is such a wonderful play that reaches to be super fun and exciting, to super tense and worrisome. It becomes such a wonderful show immersions the audience in such a unique new culture.
I think it is really wonderful that Cambodian Rock Band discusses the Cambodian genocide, which is such an important event in Cambodian history that many Americans including myself know very little about. The plot of the show follows Neary a Cambodian-American who works in Phnom Penh for an NGO that is attempting to bring Khmer Rouge war criminals, from the genocide perpetrated by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge from 1975 to 1979, to justice. Neary is reunited with her father who has been living in the U.S. He finally opens up to her about his past and how he was in a rock band when he was younger. The show is partly a rock concert, which features a concert-like set including tressing framing the stage and partly a theatrical performance. I wish I could have seen Cambodian Rock Band, it seems like it would be a fun and immersive experience.
My experience seeing Cambodian Rock Band was a very interesting one. Not only did we have a talk with the playwright before the show began, I was also seated behind her during the performance. I believe the night we went was the opening night for this production, so it was very interesting to see her reaction as the show went on. This was an area of history that I was not very aware of before seeing the show and even though there is not a whole lot of direct exposition, I still was able to comprehend the story and learned quite a bit along the way. It sparked a very interesting discussion between me and other people from the School of Drama in other concentrations. I talked with friends in Design and Dramaturgy and we both agreed that it was an enjoyable experience and left us with a lot to think about.
Post a Comment