Review: HMONG FUTURES: THE FUTURE OF US at Theatre Mu

Theater Mu’s Hmong Futures: The Futures of Us at Gremlin Theatre is one of those shows that doesn’t try to “wow” you with big theatrical tricks—it’s quieter than that—but it ends up hitting harder because of it.

Written by Katie Ka Vang and directed by Reena Dutt, it follows a Hmong family trying to figure out what the future even looks like when so much of their past is tied to survival. It’s very much an intergenerational story about healing, especially through three Hmong American women at its center, and it keeps coming back to the small stuff—family conversations, daily routines, awkward moments, and the kind of silence that says just as much as words.

A lot of what makes it feel real is how it was created. The piece was shaped through community engagement in 2025 during the 50th anniversary of Southeast Asians in Minnesota, and it was backed by a $100,000 Joyce Award for that work. You can feel that it wasn’t made in isolation—it’s built from actual conversations and stories from the community, not just imagination on its own.

There’s also a heavier layer underneath it all. During development, Minnesota was dealing with immigration raids tied to Operation Metro Surge, and that reality ends up sitting in the background of the play whether it’s spoken about directly or not. The world of the story is set in 2031, but those real events clearly affected how the script came together, especially when even a workshop reading had to be canceled after violence in the community. That kind of weight lingers, even in quieter scenes.

The cast really makes everything work. Melody Her (Maly), Mason Yang (Aben), Gregory Watanabe (Unclefriend), Nancy Ma (Fhoua), and Sharon Omi (Zong) all feel really natural together—nothing feels overly performed or forced. It just feels like a family dealing with real stuff, in real time.

The design stays pretty minimal, but in a good way. Sarah Bahr’s set and costumes don’t distract from the story, and the lighting by Ellie Simonett plus sound by Pan-Pan Gou just gently shape the mood instead of taking over. It all feels intentional, but never flashy.

There’s also a lot of care behind the scenes—from stage management by Haley Walsh and Miles Latham to dramaturgy by Lynde Rosario, plus a whole group of designers, fellows, and apprentices helping build the production. Cultural consulting from Pang Foua Xiong also shows up in how specific and grounded everything feels.

What really makes Hmong Futures worth seeing is that it doesn’t rush to wrap things up or give easy answers. It just sits with big questions—about family, identity, and what it actually takes for a community to move from surviving to thriving—and lets you sit with them too.

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