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A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 1w, 3m, 2 any gender (adult)
By Lauren Yee Featuring songs by Dengue Fever
Also featuring songs by Yol Aularong, Ros Serey Sothea, Sinn Sisamouth, and Bob Dylan Additional Arrangements by Matthew MacNelly and Jane Lui
Both a thrilling historical mystery and a rousing rock concert, Cambodian Rock Band is filled with horror, humor, pathos… and songs by the best unknown rock band in Cambodia!
Image: 2020 Signature Theatre Production (Joan Marcus)
Winner! 2020 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play Nominated! 2020 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play
Note: This title is not yet available to license. Click the Request License button to be notified when it becomes available.
In 1978, Chum fled Cambodia and narrowly escaped the murderous Khmer Rouge regime. Thirty years later, he returns in search of his wayward daughter, Neary. As the play jumps back and forth in time, thrilling mystery meets rock concert until both father and daughter are forced to face the music of the past.
From playwright Lauren Yee (King of the Yees, The Great Leap) comes a story filled with horror, humor, pathos and songs by the best unknown rock band in Cambodia!
CHUM – male, 51 and 18, Cambodian NEARY – female, 26, Cambodian American (also plays SOTHEA) TED – male, 25, Thai Canadian (also plays CADRE, LENG) DUCH – male, ageless, Cambodian ROM – gender-neutral, 20s-30s, Cambodian (also plays JOURNALIST) POU – gender-neutral, 20s-30s, Cambodian (also plays S-21 GUARD)
Chum, Neary/Sothea, Ted/Leng, and Duch serve mainly as actors. Rom and Pou serve mainly as musicians. Note: Rom and Pou are written as male and female, respectively, in this script, but the characters can be played by actors of any gender.
In scenes from the past, Chum, Leng, Sothea, Rom, Pou, and Duch speak in perfect English, standard American accents, to reflect that they are speaking fluent Cambodian/Khmer.
THE BAND You can adapt this (and corresponding dialogue) according to your actors’ musical talents, but here’s a possible blueprint:
CHUM – electric bass guitar, vocals LENG – electric guitar, vocals SOTHEA – lead female vocals, tambourine ROM – drums/percussion POU – keyboard, vocals DUCH – tambourine or cowbell (should he be so moved)
A sax and more percussion would be great, but not necessary.
★★★★ “Wittily funny, wonderfully complex, and deeply moving.” – New York Theatre Guide
“Good old rock ’n’ roll, Cambodian-style. Clap your hands, everybody, and sing along!” – The New York Times
“A fierce, gorgeous, heartwarming, comedic fairy tale... Yee has made her characters so joyfully and ridiculously human that it’s impossible not to identify with them.” – The Los Angeles Times
“It’s a wonderful, strange, moving, tuneful (even toe-tapping) experience, one like no other!” – San Diego Gay and Lesbian News
“FABULOUS! The first great play of 2020.” – TheaterMania
“Powerful! A killer Khmer-language rock show.” – New York Magazine
ON BREAKING CHARACTER
Lauren Yee in Five Playsby Rosalind Jackson Roe19 May 2026
Excerpts from the South Coast Repertory World Premiere
Cambodian Rock Band SCR Trailer
Music and Inspiration for Cambodian Rock Band
1. “Jeas Cyclo” – Band 2. “Uku” – Sothea 3. “Old Pot, Tasty Rice” – Pou 4. “Family Business” – Neary & Band 5. “One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula” – Sothea 6. “Cement Slippers” – Leng & Sothea 7. “Champa Battambang” – Chum 8. “Sni Bong” – Sothea 9. “The Times They Are a Changin'” – Chum 10. “Toothe and Nail” – Chum 11. “I'm Sixteen” – Neary 12. “Jeas Cyclo - Reprise” – Band 13. “Today I Learned to Drink (Doo Wop)” – Band
3 Vocal Rehearsal Books 1 Piano-Vocal 1 Drums 1 Guitar – Electric Guitar 1 Bass – Electric Bass Guitar
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