here is the blurb that caught my attention-
some publicity photos from the brochure-
the play- was outstanding-
it opens with an older woman at a desk typing- and she begins to narrate the action which takes place on the stage in a sparsely decorated set. she sets the stage with her words which are evocative of steamy Saigon and surrounding areas in the 1930s when French ruled what was then called Indochine- now Viet Nam.
she paints a vivid word picture of the scenes and action and the actors have very little dialogue as they embody her words through their actions. the story evolves over 90 minutes with no intermission (which would have thoroughly disrupted the atmosphere set by narration and the players.) a precocious impoverished school girl and a Chinese immigrant whose family fled Sun Yat Sen's China from the Manchuria Province in North China and established themselves in Saigon creating great wealth take each other as lovers. as the story unfolds she reveals a past family history of abuse (on various levels) and her family basically extorts money from the North China lover's family in exchange for the affair with the girl.
a haunting story and incredibly effective production- this one is put in my highest category of review- if there is any way you can get there before the 11/10 end of the run - it is a MUST see.... elegiac in the truest sense of the word (expressing sorrow for that which is irrecoverably past) - the lovers part- their lives go on- but they are forever tied to each other, the love never dying....
really fabulous evening of great theater - not since The City and The City have I been so moved by a play - this one is worth your time.
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