‘Cambodian Rock Band’ plugs in at Berkeley Rep — where it all started
Dengue Fever had come to the Big Apple to perform a concert in 2015, but it was an unrelated meet-up with Bay Area playwright Lauren Yee that is having a lasting impact for the Los Angeles band.
“She wanted to meet up and have a beer and talk about some stuff,” recalls Zac Holtzman, guitarist and co-founder of Dengue Fever, which got its start in 2001. “She told us a little bit about her idea of basing her play on a Cambodian rock ‘n’ roll band.”
Yee had definitely reached out to the right group, which is known for performing classic Cambodian pop and rock tunes.
The idea sounded appealing to Holtzman and his bandmates, so they decided to join the San Francisco-born playwright on the adventure. The next stop was the Ground Floor, Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s new-play development program. where the work — dubbed “Cambodian Rock Band” — was first developed in 2016.
All these years later, “Cambodian Rock Band” is finally set to make its Bay Area premiere at the Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre. Directed by Chay Yew, the play with live music begins in previews Feb. 25 and runs through April 2.
The play, described as darkly funny, tells the tale of a survivor of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime who returns to Cambodia after 30 years, right as his daughter is set to prosecute one of the country’s most notable war criminals.
It features a soundtrack of classic Cambodian songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as modern Dengue Fever numbers, performed by a live band onstage.
No, that live band isn’t Dengue Fever, but rather a group of actors who have received training in the music.
“We basically helped the actors learn how to play our songs,” Holtzman says of Dengue Fever’s involvement during the early developmental stages of the play.
He also says that it was amazing to see how the play evolved on its way to opening night.
“It was good from the start, but Lauren didn’t just do little tiny brush strokes of changes for each rewrite,” says Holtzman. “They were huge dramatic rewrites each time.
“Watching it change was pretty impressive — that she would be that brave to cut stuff and change stuff and see how it works in a different way.”
Holtzman has gotten to see “Cambodian Rock Band” a number of times since it opened in 2018 at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa and always pays particular attention to the music being played onstage.
“I like watching Joe, especially, because I worked the closest with him because he plays guitar in the play,” Holtzman says of Obie Award winner Joe Ngo, who plays the character Chum in the play. “I like watching his technique improve over the years. So, that’s really cool.
“I told him that he needed to leave his guitar out — leave it in the kitchen or something. Don’t ever put it in its case and put it away. So every time you are waiting for a pot of water to boil, pick it up and just noodle around.”
And, on occasion, Holtzman is even able to join the actors/musicians onstage.
“We try to hook up when we can and play a regular Dengue Fever show in the same town when the play is going on,” he says. “It makes for really super fun nights. We usually go and check out the play and sometimes they call us to join them up onstage at the ending.
“Then they come to our show afterward and we do the same — they come join us for a song or two toward the end. Lots of the crowd spills over from one to the next. It just becomes a full takeover of a city.”
At least check, Dengue Fever did not have any Bay Area concerts scheduled. Yet, fans can keep watching denguefevermusic.com for new dates.
‘CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND’
By Lauren Yee, featuring songs by Dengue Fever, presented by Berkeley Repertory Theatre
When: In previews Feb. 25-28; main run is March 1-April 2
Where: Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley
Tickets: $49-$123; berkeleyrep.org.