Genre-defying and unforgettable, Cambodian Rock Band rocks in every respect. City Theatre’s 45th season opener is an imaginative historic ride that casts the terrors of the Khmer Rouge regime against the rhythms of 1970s surf rock.
The live soundtrack is the music of Dengue Fever, a band keeping those spirited sounds alive. An ensemble of outstanding, multi-talented actors perform as the band-members of Cyclos and the characters in Lauren Yee’s acclaimed and inventive play.
A profound father-daughter reunion is at the heart of Cambodian Rock Band. Set in present-day Cambodia and Cambodia then–following the fall of Phnom Penh and the withdrawal of the US from neighboring Vietnam. What happened then is almost indescribable. Music, and anything that lifted the human spirit, was banned. Anyone who sang, played an instrument, wrote, spoke out in opposition—or was an “other”—was at risk of execution. More than two million were killed during unfathomable genocide, including virtually all of the country’s musicians. This is the historical context for Cambodian Rock Band.
Director Marti Lyons cleverly moves the action from the band’s stage to various locations including the infamous S-21 interrogation site–a prison from which perhaps only 12 prisoners might have survived. It’s estimated that more than several million or around 25 percent of Cambodia’s population were executed during Pol Pot’s genocidal regime. Lyons paces this well-crafted play beautifully. Her superb cast navigates not only performing as the band, but also the dramatic arc of one family’s tragic history within the catastrophic genocide of Pol Pot’s rule.
One playwright’s curiosity can lead to some important art. Sometimes theatre plays a vital role by sometimes filling in what audience members didn’t study in history class. For those who recall Cambodia’s dark history and for those who may know little of this era, Cambodian Rock Band provides a glimpse of what can happen when a country falls into totalitarian rule. The rock music is the spoonful of sugar that helps to make this tragic story so palatable, but the story is timeless. It’s significant for depicting that such genocidal regimes have happened and can happen more easily that one might think. Hopefully this compelling play piques audience curiosity about Cambodian and Vietnamese history.
The six-member band kicks off the action with exuberant tunes sung in both Khmer and English. The musicians scatter in fear as their country slides under Pol Pot’s authoritarian rule. Their recurring performances are uplifting and punctuate the darkness. Cleverly, the band members transform to introduce characters who reveal much.
It’s a dark homecoming for Chum, a Cambodian-American survivor of the Khmer Rouge reign of horrors. His daughter Neary is an early career human rights activist about to prosecute Duch (pronounced “Doik”), an infamous war criminal. Her painstaking research has revealed there may still be one living survivor of S-21. That former prisoner could hold key evidence for her case.
When her father Chum makes a surprise visit, his own story is told in flashbacks while he and Neary make up for lost time. Once he begins to share his past, it’s clear his sense of humor belies the terrors he suffered. The revelations and realities of her father’s journey are profound even as the effervescent music of the band alternates with scenes during the two acts.
The six cast members’ versatile and passionate performances make Cambodian Rock Band sing.
Aja Wiltshire is outstanding, turning in a soulful performances as the band’s lead singer Sothea and as the determined Neary, unstoppable in her mission for justice. 
Greg Wantanabe portrays Chum, returning to Cambodia after 30 years with the emotional baggage of his secrets. The arc of his performance is captivating. From Chum’s darkest moments in his prison cell to his turn on as bass player the concert stage, Wantanabe conjures the power of the human spirit and what it takes to be a survivor.
From his charm through relentless villainry, Albert Park is superb as Duch. He welcomes the audience who soon realizes he is the very war criminal Neary will have persecuted. Park could the emcee in Cabaret or Richard III–wry, manipulative, and self-preserving.
Christopher Thomas Pow expertly juggles roles as Neary’s love interest Ted as well as the band’s lead guitarist and a conflicted prison guard. Portraying Rom, Peter Sipla shifts in both as the drummer and story roles. As Pou, Eileen Doan appears throughout, rocking out on keyboards and in supporting roles.
Lauren Yee, one of today’s most lauded and prolific playwrights, expertly weaves musical and dramatic lines to create a story on several planes and an alternately entertaining and moving experience. The requirement for actors who can play and sing sets the show as a tour de force experience and City’s version meets the challenge. This East Coast premiere of Cambodian Rock Band is one of a handful of regional productions first licensed since the play was first commissioned by City’s Artistic Director Marc Masterson (who returned as artistic head of City in 2018) for his last company South Coast Rep.
Music direction by Matt MacNelly mines the contagious surf rock vibe. It’s an infectious beat that is familiar in songs new to the audience. Matt Hawkins stages the fight action expertly in some of the play’s most compelling moments.
Yu Shibagaki’s clever set almost seamlessly transforms from the band’s stage to several other locations and back. The reappearance of the concert lighting and concert setting is smooth with the audience along for the ride, shifting with the characters from musical numbers that punctuate the story. It works like a charm.
Lighting design by Keith Parham ranges lighting for the concert stage to a dull prison cell, drawing the audience into the live concert energy and establishing contrasting modes. Izumi Inaba’s costumes capture the look of several decades as well as the attire of the Khmer Rouge henchmen. Behind the scenes, Patti Kelly is City’s expert production stage manager.
Cambodian Rock Band provides accessible performances, including an ASL Interpretation Tue., October 1 at 7 p.m. and Open Caption & Audio Description Sun., Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. The production continues through Oct. 6, with a variety of curtain times, special programs, and ticket offers for performances Tuesdays through Sundays. Details at City Theatre online or call 412-431-2489.
Photography Credit: Kristi Jan Hoover
Yvonne Hudson, a Pittsburgh-based writer, publicist, actor, and singer, joined PITR as a writer and adviser in February 2016. She began performing and writing during high school in Indiana, PA. The Point Park journalism grad credits her Globe editor for first assigning her to review a play. Yvonne is grateful to Dr. Attilio Favorini for master’s studies at Pitt Theatre Arts, work at Three Rivers Shakespeare Festival, and believing in her Shakespearean journey. When not working with nonprofits, this lifelong chorister sings with Calvary UM Church’s annual Messiah choir. Having played Juliet’s Nurse for Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks, Yvonne is now seen in her solo shows, Mrs Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson: The Poet Lights the Lamp. Goals: See all of Shakespeare’s plays in production and memorize more Sonnets. Fave quotes: “Good deed in a naughty world,” “Attention must be paid,” and “A handbag?” Twitter @msshakespeare Facebook: PoetsCornerPittsburgh LinkedIn
Categories: Archived Reviews