Review: Qui Nguyen's VIETGONE Raps Its Refugee Love Story

Playwright Qui Nguyen is a tricky fellow. First he has an actor appear on stage, claiming to be him, welcoming the audience with the usual pre-show ritual about turning off cell phones and warning against any form of recording.

And while he assures us that Vietgone is not a play about war, but rather a story about falling in love, the eclectic grab bag of styles (sex farce, road trip adventure, cartoon fighting, romantic comedy with breaks for rap performances) that make the evening lively and funny is climaxed by a quiet monologue expressing how, although most Americans regard their country's involvement in the Vietnam War as a political mistake, to those who were oppressed, the presence of a powerful foreign army helping to defend them was an important sign of hope.

As the playwright telling the story of how his parents met, fell in love and eventually had him, Paco Tolson (who does a terrific job playing multiple guys) explains that the Vietnamese characters are scripted in an understandable syntax ("I speak eloquently and shit.") while the Americans will communicate is a manner more difficult to comprehend ("French Fry, French Fry, Yee-haw!").

With the fall of Saigon inevitable, Vietnamese helicopter pilot Quang Nguyen (Raymond Lee) manages to rescue numerous doomed civilians but arrives in America haunted by the fact that he was forced to leave his wife and children behind. He arrives at the Fort Chaffee, Arkansas refugee camp determined to get back to Vietnam and find them.

But first he meets Tong (Jennifer Ikeda), a fiercely independent woman who has arrived at the camp with her abrasively intrusive mother (Samantha Quan). Neither Tong nor Quang are looking for romance, but they're both young and hot with nothing better to do than to have sex with each other whenever possible.

While hip hop may have been in its infancy during the story's mid-70s setting, having the characters occasionally express themselves through contemporary rap is a bit jarring. But given the meta set-up of the piece, it might be taken as the playwright translating their thoughts via his modern-day artistry.

Set designer Tim Mackabee and projection designer Jared Mezzocchi present an impressionistic comic book image of the American landscape as a confusing array of highways and billboards. Director May Adrales' production features a fine and energetic company diving into the varied styles of material, making Vietgone an enjoyable riff with an unexpected message.

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