‘Cambodian Rock Band’ melds horror with a rock concert
‘Cambodian Rock Band’July 19 – August 27Arena Stage1101 Sixth St., S.W.$66 – $105Arenastage.org When out actor Francis Jue was tapped to play the heavy in Lauren Yee’s “Cambodian Rock Band,” he made one stipulation.
His character couldn’t simply be a moustache twirling villain; he had to be human. Jue explains, “I wanted to explore how under the right circumstances, all of us might be capable of almost anything.
Until you’re there, you never know.” His instincts paid off. Jue snagged rave reviews along with the 2020 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play for his chilling work in the show’s off-Broadway run, and now that same Chay Yew-directed production is opening at Arena Stage on Wednesday.
Set in 2008, “Cambodian Rock Band” follows a father and daughter who travel to Phnom Penh — he’s returning to his homeland for the first time after 30 years and she’s prosecuting a notorious war criminal who played a role in the dictatorship of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, who from 1976 to 1979 killed about 2 million people.
