What I liked
It is always beautiful to see refugee stories be told and when Vivi incorporated more of her family members’ characters into the performance, the show truly began to shine and gave a hint at the wonderful things to come for the full length version.
What I didn't like
Considering this is a review of the preview performance, my biggest critique is that Vivi needs to be much more comfortable with her words as she often lost her place throughout. The first half was more of a history presentation so the performance (and therefore the most engaging) aspect does not really kick in until the last half of the 25 minute show.
My overall impression
A fascinating Vietnamese refugee story from the performer Vivi Thai’s family that while it leans a bit too hard into the historical presentation aspect for the first half, it is the second half of this 25 minute solo show that reveals the wonderful potential for the full length version to which Vivi Thai wishes to create.
