“Vietgone”

Recommended *** Depending on your age, Viet Nam memories can be of great importance. It was a war that many Americans felt we should not have been in, and of course many plays, movies and books have been written detailing the whys and whats of this “war”. Writers Theatre , over the years, has brought to its audience many topical plays and are currently featuring “Vietgone”, written by Qui Nguyen. In fact, the playwright (portrayed by Ian Michael Minh, among several characters he handles) is a character in the play. He makes the opening announcements about cell phones, picture -taking etc. and advises us that while the people in the story may or may not be actual people, the story is not based on anyone in particular. Yet, at the very end, we see far more about this statement.

The year is 1975 and we watch as Viet Nam survivors meet in a refuge camp. Saigon has just fallen. Quang ( Matthew C. Yee handles this role to perfection), who may or may not be the father of our playwright, has been employed by the US Military as a pilot, over several years.  Tong ( a splendid performance by Aurora Adachi-Winter), who may or may not be the playwright’s mother) has escaped along with her mother leaving her younger brother back in Viet Nam. Quang, also has left behind a wife and two children, not knowing what the war has left for him to find, if and when he can return.

As it turns out, these two become lovers, then friends and then even more over a number of years. Nguyen’s storytelling is done in a unique fashion, mixing rap and music (directed by  Gabriel Ruiz) along with the choreography ( Tommy Rapley) and expert stage direction by Lavinia Jadhwani.. This is one of those plays where it took an army to make this two-hour production ( with a 15 minute intermission) powerful. Added to the mix were some great technical aspects (an extremely clever set by Yu Shibagaki), powerful lighting ( Sarah Hughey), fantastic sound ( Kevin O’Donnell, marvelous projections ( Rasean Davonte Johnson) with costumes (Melissa Ng) and props (Scott Dickens). As always, Writers Theatre’s production is flawless! The tech people who changed the set between scenes were amazingly smooth and dressed in military uniforms so as not to distract the audience. It was smooth and natural!

There is also another love story involving our leading lady and a military officer, Bobby ( another fine performance by Minh). There are times it appears he will be the man in her life, but pay close attention.

The other characters in the production are handled by Rammel Chan ( he is Quang’s best friend plus a myriad of others) and Emjoy Gavino as all the other female roles. Her  portrayal of the Mother is wonderful and adds a great comic touch. There are portions of the show that are hard to follow as one tries to figure out where it is going. Is it a “road story” ( like the old Hope/Crosby films), a “buddy story” , romantic comedy, war-tory, or just a way to incorporate the success of “Hamilton” into another play. I did enjoy the “rap” and found that it kept me into the two main characters as each told me more about their lives. Viet Nam, was a time of fear and turbulence. These two young people, through no fault of their own, were brought together, away from where they wanted to be and the people they loved. Nguyen has taken this situation, one of great negativity, and brought some order to positivity to it! And some great understanding!

“Vietgone” will continue at Writers Theatre located in Glencoe at 325 Tudor Court through September 23rd with performances as follows:

Tuesdays  7:30 p.m.

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.  some select 3 p.m. performances as well

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

OPEN CAPTION PERFORMANCE  9/6  7:30 p.m.

ASL-INTERPRETED   9/22  7:30 p.m.

Tickets range from $35- $80 and can be purchased at the box office, by calling 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org

Free Parking is available on the street and at the Glencoe train station. The train is also a great way to get to the theater.

To see what others are saying, visit http://www,theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Vietgone”.