By Andrew Hamlin
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The two youthful leads for Pork Filled Productions’ new play, “Vietgone,” came to audition for their parts, through two decidedly different paths.
“I just saw that auditions were up for this play I never heard of,” said Josh Erme, who plays Quang, a young man detained in a Vietnamese refugee camp on Arkansas soil in 1975.
“Being very new to theater, I thought, ‘Why the hell not?’ I read the play and fell in love. It was funny and wacky, and underneath that was a wealth of heartfelt messages about love and loyalty. It even enlightened me with a perspective on the Vietnam War, that the broader American populace was absolutely not familiar with. And being Asian American myself, I wanted the opportunity to be a part of something that tells those stories.”
Megan Huynh, who plays Tong, Quang’s love interest, brought in a bit more theater experience, and more experience with the text.
“I had read the script during college, and was so immediately taken by the humor, the depth of characters, and the poignancy of the dramatic scenes. From that moment, I knew I would want to be a part of this show at some point in my professional career.
“When I heard that Pork Filled and SIS productions were going to put this on, I leapt at the chance. This was also important to me as this is my first Vietnamese-specific role/character that I’ve gotten the opportunity to audition for. The story of the show deeply resonates with my family’s experience coming over after the war, and it has been very healing and fulfilling getting to dive into that experience.”
The two young people meet and fall for each other in the refugee camp, but the path of affection does not go smoothly. Each of them left family, feelings, and obligations back in the home country. Playwright Qui Nguyen based his narrative on some of his own family history.
“The character of Quang Nguyen is actually the father of Vietgone’s playwright,” explained Erme. “He was a helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. After taking refugees from Saigon to America, he makes it his mission to go back to Vietnam to get to his wife and two children, no matter the risk.
“Quang is someone who is fiercely loyal to those he loves, most importantly his family. He would rather die just trying to get back, as long as it meant he did everything he could to be with them, rather than live and not try at all. As far as he’s concerned, if he doesn’t have his family, he has nothing. Vietnam is his home, not America.”
Of course, the female half of this couple has her own issues.
“Tong,” said Huynh, “is acutely aware of patriarchal pressures to be a caretaker of her family and younger siblings, and to find a good husband one day. She’s traumatized by the war and her own past romantic experiences, and uses sex as a way to distract from her emotional turmoil, and her feelings of never being a good enough daughter or woman.
“She often lashes out and can be quite bitchy to the other characters, but that’s because she doesn’t have much emotional vocabulary to address her point with much tact. She is fiercely independent and denies believing in love, despite all of her actions being driven by her need for love and support.”
1975, the year of the play’s action, was obviously long before either lead actor was born.
“I have our expert dramaturge, Anamaria Guerzon,” said Erme, “to thank for providing much of the historical context for not only the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, but also the real-life version of Quang Nguyen. When the play is dealing with the war, it is definitely treated with the appropriate level of seriousness.
“However, in other moments, the play is stylized in such a way that it doesn’t necessarily always have to be 100% representative of the time. For instance, Qui Nguyen is a huge fan of hip-hop. Quang and Tong may rap in the show but in real life, they most certainly did not. There is also a wacky comic book aesthetic that is implemented in this particular production.”
Huynh, playing Tong, drew upon more personal reserves.
“I’ve been thinking on the stories my parents told me about life in Vietnam during the war and before they came over to the states. I’m also lucky to have a copy of my grandfather’s memoir, ‘The Inviting Call of Wandering Souls’ [by Van Thanh Lu], which details his time as liaison and translator for South Vietnam during the war. It reminded me of how difficult life was for them, and the beacon of hope and opportunity that was offered by coming to the U.S., and how despite the difficulties, each of the refugees is grateful for their life and chance to rebuild.
“My father has always reiterated to me to be grateful for whatever I had, and I don’t take that lightly.”
“Vietgone” plays Aug. 9-24 at the Theatre Off Jackson, 409 7th Avenue South in Seattle.
For prices, showtimes, and other information, visit https://porkfilled.com/wp/vietgone-tickets.