Director

An all-American love story about two very new Americans. It’s 1975. Saigon has fallen. He’s lost his wife, she’s lost her fiancé, and home as they’ve known it will never be the same. But this isn’t a story about war: It’s a story about falling in love. Based on playwright Qui Nguyen’s family, Vietgone tells the partially true and endlessly entertaining tale of how his parents, Quang and Tong, met in a refugee relocation camp in Arkansas during the Vietnam War. They navigate their very new lives as very new Americans amidst family pressure, the challenges of migration and a culture full of motorcycles, cowboys, fast food and dreams. With irreverent humor, hip-hop and heightened theatrical storytelling, this original story reinvents the romantic comedy genre and captures your heart.

EPSG:4326

Vietgone

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

The ingredients for the cake are simple: eggs, butter, sugar, salt. Look closer, though, and you’ll see the essence of life itself. Every year, Ernestine bakes a cake and celebrates with her family on her birthday — a delicious ritual that unfolds onstage across 90 years of birthdays. We meet Ernestine and the people who sweeten her life every year on this day as she grows from 17 to 107 years old. Through glimpses of Ernestine’s life as the years go by, Birthday Candles tenderly explores motherhood, family, love, loss and finding your place in the universe. This charming new play, recently performed on Broadway, will warm the soul.

Joanie Schultz

Director

Events

Apr 27 - Jun 2, 2024

Vietgone · Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

Apr 20 - May 18, 2025

Birthday Candles · Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park

About

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