Photo provided by Pom Siab Hmoob Theatre
Pom Siab Hmoob Theatre's "The Garden of the Soul" is community theater in the best sense of the term.
Written, directed and acted by members of the Twin Cities Hmong community, it speaks to a number of divisive issues that have arisen since the members' forced exodus from their Southeast Asia homeland.
The acting, for the most part, is below professional quality, and the script would benefit from considerable tightening. But this Story of a family struggling with assimilation and identity is an effective forum that opens up discussion on several fronts. Its focus is the conflict within the Hmong community between Christianity and shamanism, the worship of spirits. It also touches on male dominance in romantic relationships, which is apparently accepted in traditional Hmong culture, but increasingly frowned upon in America.
The central figure caught in these struggles is Paj, a teenage girl whose mother is a devoted Christian and whose father believes in the spirits. She is also the object of the lascivious affections of the pastor of her mother's church. Toss in touches of "Romeo and Juliet" and 0. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" and you have a story that mixes romance and ideas well.
The acting, which seems to come from the heart, is pleasantly natural if not always convincing. Lee Vang provides an intelligent and sympathetic portrait of Paj. Nkauj'lis Lyfoung, who also directed, is forceful and warm as her mother, and Kenny Lee has a lot of fun as her spirited young suitor. The comic highlight is supplied by Josette Antomarchi, an original member of Theatre de la Jeune Lune, who lights up the stage in a brief appearance as the zealous aide of a Bible-belting, door-to-door missionary.
Photo provided by Pom Siab Hmoob Theatre
Sandy Vang and Lee Vang perform in "The Garden of the Soul " the story of a family struggling with assimilation a tale that mixes romance and ideas.