Those who do not know their history tend to repeat it. Yet history also repeats itself when we know it and still feel compelled to follow the same path. We sin by omission. Society teaches us to preserve tradition and to reproduce the lives of those who came before us. Marry young, remain in the hometown, live as our parents lived. To question these expectations can feel like rebelling against the family itself. Fear of judgment, fear of standing apart, fear of the unknown keeps us obedient to the past. Even in times of war we may still follow these traditions, carrying forward the choices of previous generations despite knowing their consequences.
It is precisely this tension between tradition and change that lies at the heart of The Magnificent Ms. Pham.
This was the final puppet piece of the Puppetopia festival at HERE Arts Center, and once again we reaffirm the high level of its curation. We attended three completely different performances, both in their origins and in their execution. Today we are going to talk about our journey with The Magnificent Ms. Pham.
The journey begins in Vietnam. We watch this girl grow up within a traditional family, following the customs her mother teaches her. Both the girl and the goddess who guides her seem to suggest that she follow her intuition and not repeat history. A seed of rebellion has been planted. There is doubt, there is uncertainty, there are options, but tradition must be followed.
The water puppet technique is a magical and innovative resource compared with what we are accustomed to seeing. We learn that its origin is Vietnamese and that it is more than 1,000 years old. Traditionally, puppeteers stand waist deep in village ponds to manipulate wooden puppets through hidden bamboo rods and strings. Performances feature scenes of rural life, myths, and fire breathing dragons, accompanied by traditional music.
Here the puppeteers are not inside the water. Instead, a rectangular well extends across the proscenium from one end of the stage to the other, with the puppeteers positioned behind it to manipulate the figures. It is a great success, and completely necessary, that this type of ancestral technique be introduced into our culture so it can be integrated into our arts. In this piece there is no dialogue. The entire story unfolds as a musical symphony, a choreography from beginning to end.
The story, written by Tommy Nguyen, who co-directs with Doug Fitch, moves through the different stages of Ms. Pham’s life, her decisions and their consequences, shaped by war and migration. She is guided by customs in which rebellion is suggested but remains an innocent gesture, hinted at but not strong enough to generate a movement or a change. The seed of discord that may perhaps transform future generations.
Overall, it is a very well played piece. The performers had fun, and we had fun with them.
We want to give special recognition to the music by MUR and Hao Le. At times it played like a Wild West opera, dramatic and playful, full of rebellious spirit. It connected strongly with the audience from the very beginning. Wonderful work.
Some of the scenes were extended through repetition, especially when the themes were already very clear. Emphasizing and prolonging them generated a bit of frustration for us. If that was the intention, it was fully achieved, or perhaps it is simply a reflection of our own reality. It seems that conflict and war take up more and more space, expanding in the story just as they do in life itself. We remember the wonderful principle that less is more.
The dedication of the cast, the joy of director and performer Tommy Nguyen, which could barely be contained in the theater at the moment of the curtain call, the water puppets, and the music made our night a celebration. Without a doubt, we witnessed the culmination of a dream brought vividly to life on stage.
We are giving this 3 / 5 Ds (D D D)
Photos by Richard Termine
