Poor Yella Rednecks

 Poor Yella Rednecks
Manhattan Theatre Club
New York City Center Stage I
November 24, 2023 

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The Manhattan Theatre Club production of Qui Nguyen’s Poor Yella Rednecks is outstanding.  Mr. Nguyen tells the story of his mother and father, and his growing up in a small town in Arkansas.  It is funny and touching, rough and sweet.  Mr. Nguyen’s storytelling style is unique.  He tells this personal story of struggle and hardship in a bold and colorful manner.  His rhythms and humor are fully engaging, pulling the audience into the deeper emotion of the story.     

Maureen Sebastian, Samantha Quan, Little Man,
& Jon Norman Schneider
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The playwright (played by Jon Norman Schneider) enters the stage and tells the audience he is getting ready to interview his mother.  He is going to write a play about when she met his father.  His mother, Tong (played by Maureen Sebastian) lays down the rules for the interview and what she expects from his play.  She transforms into a young woman, a refugee from Vietnam in the 1981.  She meets and falls in love with Quang (played by Ben Levin), who has a wife and two children in Vietnam.  He was a helicopter pilot during the war.  His wife thinks he is dead.  He and Tong decide to get married.  They live in El Dorado, Arkansas with Tong’s mother, Huong (played by Samantha Quan), who helps raise their son, Little Man (a puppet, manipulated and voiced by Jon Norman Schneider).  When Quang receives a letter from his wife in Vietnam, the guilt from abandoning his two children rises to the surface.  He sends them money without telling Tong, which breaks her trust.  This is only the beginning of their many ups and downs, including the fact that Little Man is having trouble speaking English and is bullied at school.

Maureen Sebastian & Ben Levin
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

The cast is superb.  Maureen Sebastian and Ben Levin have great chemistry and create a genuine bond as Tong and Quang.  Samantha Quan is full of energy as Huong.  She not only delivers the laughs, but also renders a truthful and touching scene in Act II with her grandson, Little Man.  Jon Norman Schneider’s grounded presence keeps the whole story connected.  There are strong performances by Jon Hoche and Paco Tolson, who both play numerous roles.  

Mr. Nguyen tells a lot of the story through rap lyrics.  They enhance the plot and heighten emotional impact.  Director May Adrales has done a brilliant job bringing this play to the stage.  Scenic design by Tim Mackabee is bright and colorful.  It is full of surprises, as each piece turns around to reveal unexpected settings.  Choreography by William Carlos Angulo is fun and energetic.  Puppet design by David Valentine is wonderous and charming. 

Poor Yella Rednecks is playing at the New York City Center Stage I through December 3.  Don’t miss it! 

Domenick Danza

King Kong

King Kong

The Broadway Theatre

October 20, 2018

Photo courtesy of King Kong

I believe the measure of a good story is in how well it is told, and the Broadway production of King Kong tells this well-known tale with brilliant, captivating theatricality.  Drew McOnie, Director/Choreographer, partners with a creative team of designer to deliver a truly mesmerizing production.  Scenic and Projection Designer Peter England creates jaw-dropping seascapes and monumental structures.  The Video & Projection Image Content by Artists in Motion keeps the action moving at a phenomenal pace with breathtaking specificity.  Lighting Designer Peter Mumford pulls out all the stops while keeping your eyes focused on every moment.  Sound Designer Peter Hylenski creates a giant with earth shaking sound.  Drew McOnie’s choreography is mammoth.  It sets the tone for the production from the opening scene and continually entertains with movement that metaphorically echoes the dramatic action of the story.

Christiani Pitts as Ann Darrow with Kong
Photo courtesy of King Kong

Christiani Pitts portrays Ann Darrow, the heroine and love interest of Kong, as determined and fearless.  She does not back down or scream in fear.  Instead she stands up for herself and her beliefs, giving Kong the courage to fight back.  Her characterization is more reflective of a woman of the twenty-first century than one of 1931, when the show takes place.  This gives the story a new dimension.  Her dream of stardom, inner conflict, and personal growth are the through-line of the plot.

Ann Darrow & Eric William Morris
Photo courtesy of King Kong

Eric William Morris plays Carl Denham, the filmmaker who captures Kong.  His character is bold and cunning, and juxtaposed by the character of Lumpy, played with heart and tenderness by Eric Lochtefeld.

The true star of this show is Kong, a twenty foot beast operated by ten on-stage puppeteers.  These amazing artists are visible throughout the productions, as are the cables holding up the giant animal.  They become one with the creature.  Their movements are precisely choreographed.  Watching them create the illusion is part of the theatricality of the experience.  Kudos to Gavin Robins, the Kong/Aerial Movement Director, and Jon Hoche, the Voice of Kong.

This show is far more than astonishing spectacle.  It is brilliant theatricality that can only be accomplished through a high level of collaboration, ingenuity, and commitment.  King Kong is presently in previews at The Broadway Theatre.  It is a mind blowing experience. 

Domenick Danza

Vietgone

Vietgone

Manhattan Theatre Club

NY City Center Stage I

November 25, 2016

Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

Vietgone is Qui Nguyen’s play presently running at Manhattan Theatre Club’s NY City Center Stage I.  This phenomenal script offers a valuable perspective on the experience of the refugees from the Vietnam War.  The characters lose their homes, their families, and their country.  They struggle to let go of the past in order to build a future for themselves in the United States, but they never forget who they are.

Quang (played by Raymond Lee) is a Vietnam helicopter pilot who rescues women and children when Saigon is invaded.  He is unable to get back to save his wife and two children.  Tong (played by Jennifer Ikeda) is given two tickets to the United States to escape the invasion.  She takes her mother, leaving her brother and fiancé behind.  These two characters meet in a refugee camp in Arkansas.  Quang vows to return to his family in Vietnam.  Tong battles with her mother, identity as an Asian woman, and deep fears of intimacy.  Their commonalities bind them in their journey of assimilation in a country and culture that knows nothing about who they are and what they have seen.

Raymond Lee, Jon Hoche, & Jennifer Ikeda
Photo courtesy of Mnhattan Theatre Club

May Adrales has directed a stellar cast who delivers realistic scenes and relationships that are touching, humorous, and poignant.  Jon Hoche, Jennifer Ikeda, Raymond Lee, Samantha Quan, and Paco Tolson join forces as an ensemble to entertain and enlighten the audience with the journey of their characters.  The set (designed by Anthony Tran), lighting (designed by Justin Townsend), and projections (designed by Jared Mezzocchi) create an atmosphere that incite the imagination and focuses the audience intensely on the action of the play.  

Jon Hoche & Raymond Lee
Photo courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club

In the final scene Mr. Nguyen makes a mind-blowing statement about the Unites States’ involvement in the Vietnam War.  It is from the perspective of a Vietnamese character who fought and lost everything.  It is noble and heroic, and unlike any political point of view we have heard on this subject.  You must see this play to experience the impact of this moment. 

Vietgone runs through December 4.  You have to see this show!

Domenick Danza