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On the Road Again East West Players launches 42nd anniversary season with “Durango,” the story of a family’s troubled quest for the American Dream.
“Durango,” writer Julia Cho’s heart-rending play making its West Coast premiere at the David Henry Hwang Theater through Oct. 14, unabashedly lets it all hang out when a father and his two sons embark on a forced spur-of-the-moment road trip. Directed by Chay Yew, “Durango” is at times humorous. But more importantly, this gripping story of a Korean American family and their failed American Dream—whatever that dream was meant to be—is an emotionally raw experience, poignant because the issues boiling up to the surface during an hours-long car ride are so real. At times, the tension in the room becomes so thick it’s almost tangible. Race, identity, sexuality and familial pressures—no topic is safe from Cho’s hand, forcing into the public eye issues that crop up in everyday life, but are difficult to deconstruct. That the personal demons haunting the play’s main characters are able to come through with such force is understandable since on the road, the embattled men are vulnerable, far away from their comfort zones. This road trip thus takes on a life of its own. “The American road trip is an archetypal American thing,” said Cho before her play’s debut. “Other countries aren’t big enough for it… went on those (road trips). I have vivid memories of this. So it’s a combination of wanting to tackle that on stage and just sort of the way in which road trips are seldom about where you are going and seem to be almost entirely about getting there.” Set in Arizona, “Durango” introduces father Boo-Seng Lee (Nelson Mashita), a proud man at age 56, who is met with the startling realization that after 20 years of service to the same company, he is still expendable and the cultural differences between him and his coworkers are the root of the problem. Furious, humiliated and caught without a plan (he was going to retire in four years), Boo and sons Isaac (Jin Suh), 20, and Jimmy (Ryan Cusino), 13, set out for Durango, although Boo’s sons don’t realize until hours into the trip that Durango is in Colorado, not Arizona. Although “Durango” plays out on a simple set of appearing and disappearing beds, tables and the interior of a car, the effect is no less dramatic. Projection designer Jason Thompson’s projection screen spans the length of the stage, adding the beautiful backdrop of a red rock-lined highway and blue, cloud-covered horizon, giving the impression that the Lees truly are moving across state lines. These panoramic images also make it possible to envision the family stopping at a motel for the night, to experience Jimmy’s imagination going wild as he draws and narrates the life of his comic book character the Red Angel (Alex Klein), or to see Boo’s flashbacks of being laid off and escorted out by a security guard (John Apicella). Images of the boys’ mother, who died of breast cancer, also are projected during the characters’ flashbacks involving her. On the surface, “Durango” is everybody’s worst family road trip, times 10. But underneath, it is something much more meaningful, played out by talented actors who seamlessly depict some of the most realistic displays of emotion. Isaac is anxious and troubled that he is expected to get into medical school when his true passion is for playing the guitar and singing; at points throughout the play, he breaks out into melancholy song. Jimmy is a champion swimmer with a knack for drawing, but he’s troubled by unanswered questions about race and sexuality. The inner turmoil father and sons are dealing with individually brew and boil over, becoming explosive emotional outbursts when the three are confined for hours in their family car. But even in their most dramatic moments—of which there are many—there is a clear bond that emerges among the trio. Jimmy is frequently caught in the middle since he’s more inclined to ingratiate himself with his father. The situation is different with Isaac and Boo. Their relationship is rocky, the result of Isaac’s memories of his parents arguing or Boo forcing him to do things. Still, loves his father and shows his softer side. When Boo appears in the motel room soaked from falling into a pool, his spirit broken, Isaac gently tucks him into bed before tucking in Jimmy, who is confused by the appearance of his drenched and dazed father. Tender moments like these successfully restore viewers’ faith in family bonds. And the Lees’ love for one another goes even further. “It’s not like any one of them has a clear idea of what they want, but there is a sense of yearning in all of them, a yearning for fulfillment. All three fall short, and not because they’re not able, but there are other things, like their love for each other, that interferes with their duty to fulfill themselves,” said Cho. The parallels between the Lees’ story and the quintessential immigrant story are clear. At the root of both stories there are big dreams and sacrifices that come with attaining those dreams or ensuring that loved ones can reach for their own stars. In “Durango,” Boo has sacrificed to help get into med school and to support Jimmy’s swimming career. Isaac sacrifices his dreams of being a musician to make his father’s dream of having a doctor son come to life. And Jimmy, talented swimmer and artist, doesn’t even really like swimming—but he’s a champion, knowing it makes his father proud. Key to “Durango” is that while the central characters are Korean American, one doesn’t have to even be Asian American to understand or be moved by the play. In her own words, Cho describes “Durango” as “a very human story in dealing with our parents. The way feel, there are just all these relationships in it (the play)… I can’t reach everyone. Not everyone will like my work or respond to it. But hopefully enough do that it’s a meaningful experience.” |
