Most of us have pretty entrenched views on the Vietnam War. I wasn’t expecting to have those views challenged quite so much by Vietgone, Queensland Theatre’s last production for 2023.
It’s on in the Playhouse at QPAC until November 18. The bigger venue is required for a production that has a small cast but a big set that serves as everything from the wide-open spaces of America to war-torn Saigon, a US aircraft carrier and a refugee camp in the United States.
When Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) fell it was a catastrophic humanitarian disaster and it is bracing to be reminded of this as the war between Israel and Hamas continues to displace thousands.
Wars do this and they are wrong. Aren’t they? On the other hand, tyrannical regimes have to be opposed and sometimes we have to help.
That’s one of the messages that you will get from this play. Rather than decry the involvement of the US and, eventually, of us, we hear a different version of history as told by playwright Qui Nguyen, who introduces the play through the actor playing him, Hieu Luong.
He reminds us along the way that the South Vietnamese were fighting against the North, rampaging communists who still control the country. We don’t hear much political bluster about that, do we?
One of the tragedies of Vietnam is that the Republic of South Vietnam (1955-1975) was eradicated by the communists and when the war was lost it was devastating for those Vietnamese who opposed the communists. Many fled here, of course, and we took them in, as we should have.
This play is an American story but it still resonates for us.
There were quite a few Vietnamese folk in the auditorium the night I attended and the announcements were in English and Vietnamese, which was interesting. They would have enjoyed, as I did, the finale where everything we have seen is summed up in a fascinating dialogue between the playwright (played by Luong) and his father, Quang, later in his life.
Vietgone is directed by the masterful Daniel Evans with Ngoc Phan as assistant director, who also plays numerous characters.
The central love story between Quang (Will Tran) and Tong (Kristie Nguy) is the bedrock of a story told with musical interludes, largely rap numbers, and luckily both these actors can sing and dance … and possibly chew gum at the same time.
I loved the retro ’70s music intertwined with the original numbers. Aljin Abella, who plays Quang’s brother at one stage, is hilarious as a humorously wannabe cowboy singer whose version of Mammas Don’t Let Your Sons Grow Up to be Cowboys leaves a lot to be desired. He also butchers Bob Dylan’s I’ll be Your Baby Tonight at one point. He seems to be enjoying himself, though, and they have to drag him off the stage still gripping the microphone.
Get InReview in your inbox – free each Saturday. Local arts and culture – covered.
Thanks for signing up to the InReview newsletter.
I first saw Abella in a production of Monkey: Journey to the West at Brisbane Powerhouse years ago and you may recall his comic genius in Aladdin and Frozen. A funny man.
We also have the very talented Patrick Jhanur playing multiple roles. Between them the actors play more than 20 characters and execute 100 costume changes as we travel from Vietnam to the US and embark upon an Easy Rider -style road trip with a nod to that film with the reefer smoking scene. I’m sure they didn’t inhale.
This is a musical, a comedy and a tragedy all rolled into one and I encourage you to study the program because there’s a lot of supporting material that helps contextualise the play.
It asks questions … and answers them in a finale where everything we have seen is summed up in a fascinating dialogue between the playwright (Hieu Luong) and his father, Quang, later in his life.
The answers may not be what we expect. That’s good theatre right there, yes?
Vietgone, until November 18, Playhouse, QPAC
queenslandtheatre.com.au
Support local arts journalism
Your support will help us continue the important work of InReview in publishing free professional journalism that celebrates, interrogates and amplifies arts and culture in South Australia.
Donate Here