Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage

Cambodian Rock Band

Arena Stage
1101 Sixth Street, SW Washington

It's 2008 and a father-daughter duo are heading to Phnom Penh; she to prosecute a notorious Cambodian war criminal, he 30 years after escaping then-Communist rule. In a psychedelic theatrical extravaganza set to some of the country's most popular rock music, including from Dengue Fever, Cambodian Rock Band shines a light on the country's vibrant '70s rock scene and how an entire generation of musicians was purged by the Khmer Rouge, as it brings long-buried family secrets back to life.

Thru - Aug 27, 2023

Price: $66-$105

Stage: Kreeger Theater

Show Type: Comedy/Drama

Box Office: 202-488-3300

Running Time: 2hrs, 30mins

www.arenastage.com

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Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage in Washington DC

Cambodian Rock Band Reviews

Average Rating based on 4 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...The production is something of an onstage mash-up — not a musical, but “a play with music,” to quote playwright Lauren Yee. The foundation of Yee’s fictionalized narrative is the Cambodian genocide — the class-driven eradication of some 2 million people from 1975 to 1979 under Pol Pot — but its framework is the rock-and-roll scene of Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh."

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- Thomas Floyd

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...What makes Cambodian Rock Band different from anything else you’ve seen on stage is Cyclo, the fictional rock band that punctuates Yee’s narrative with full-on rock performances, turning Arena Stage’s Kreeger Theater into a rock concert featuring a combination of classic Cambodian rock songs and newer songs by the Cambodian-influenced California band Dengue Fever."

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- Nicole Hertvik

Washington City Paper - Recommended

"...I have been a fan of Cambodian rock for the better part of a decade, and have no doubt that Yee is an even greater fan. Even if the themes of the songs (whether sung in Khmer or in English) don’t connect strongly with the story, the visceral experience of seeing them performed live perhaps communicates to those without a connection to Cambodian culture, in a way statistics rarely do, that something uniquely and joyfully beautiful was murdered. This is an important reminder, when as recently as July 13, 2023, the streaming educational service Masterclass announced that a foremost denier of the Cambodian Genocide, Noam Chomsky, is one of their newest teachers."

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- Ian Thal

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...The cast is uniformly excellent from the charming, yet frightening, Francis Jue to the incredibly versatile Joe Ngo. Brooke Ishibashi is compelling as Neary, but luminous as the vocalist Sothea."

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- Nancy Blum

Cambodian Rock Band at Arena Stage