InterAct Theatre Company presents Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay’s Seng’s Hair Salon

Seng’s, by Saymoukda Duangphouxay Vongsay (hear her name) and directed by Chongren Fan, is the second play commissioned as part of InterAct’s Philly Cycle, which debuted with Antu Yacob’s On My Deen last June. Seng’s was developed in partnership with Laos in the House, VietLead, and the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia.

Care, culture, and secrets

The play opens with oldie Lao music crackling through the radio. Seng (Lydia Gaston) is sleeping in a salon chair. Vimala (Bi Jean Ngo) startles her awake, arriving with supplies. Bills are piling up and they are worried but hopeful for the salon's future. Vimala’s son Prince (Daniel Ubin Burgess) is in business school and has his own ideas on how to modernize and revitalize the salon. Seng is determined to keep the salon as-is: old posters, affordable prices, and fabulous perms. The salon is her life’s work, an important third space for the Southeast Asian (SEA) refugee community, and the legacy she is leaving for her family.

The play’s central themes are community care, preservation of culture, and secrets. Vimala is a proud mother, a silly best friend, a filial daughter, and a cornerstone to the community and her family. An eldest daughter of immigrants and a people-pleaser, she struggles to pursue her dreams beyond the walls of the salon. Ngo is a delight to watch as Vimala, bringing warmth, humor, and depth that have the audience laughing and crying throughout the show. I’ve seen Ngo in many roles, and it’s an honor to watch her play a SEA character with all the knowledge and depth of her own experience.

Seng isn’t as straightforward as she seems, with secrets, pain, and demons she tries to hide. Gaston gives a nuanced performance, her expressions hinting at the turmoil beneath her surface as a hardworking immigrant. The storyline of her health problems isn’t quite fleshed out enough, but other parts of her story are satisfying.

Ahn (Joanna Liao), Seng’s fabulous, ostentatious, and rich best friend, badgers Seng to sell the salon to developers and retire to Vietnam with Ahn. Sareoun (Karen KW Li), Vimala’s best friend, is adamant that they must fight the developers. But these two, foils to each other who provide a glimpse of the world outside the family, do not feel as well developed as the core characters. Jungwoon Kim impresses both with his choreography and his performance as The Entity, prowling on stage with preternatural grace, equally mesmerizing and menacing.

A time capsule onstage

Melpomene Katakalos’s scenic design makes good use of the limited stage at the Drake’s Proscenium Theatre. The salon at stage right has old posters featuring hair styles likely popular in the 1980s, cleaning tools, barber chairs, and a front door with a little bell, painting a humble but functional shop. The altar honoring Seng’s husband is an important character in its own right. The stage feels like a time capsule, much like a salon I frequent in Chinatown with very similar vibes. At stage left, an elevated section represents the shop’s upstairs living quarters with a couch and a side table. This open concept allows actors to move freely between the areas while differentiating them clearly.

Capturing a rich history and culture

I was surprised to learn Vongsay is not based in Philly, given how well she captures the culture of the SEA community here. Vongsay is a Lao poet and playwright who has spent her career uplifting refugee voices. She achieved the Philly angle through research and partnerships with local cultural organizations. In years of attending theater, I’ve never seen so many SEA youth and elders in the audience; it was so special to see this story witnessed by those it represents.

At InterAct, I have often felt bored by plays programmed to be provocative: the premise is enticing, but something misses the mark. Seng’s is one of the best plays I’ve seen from the company, accurately capturing and sharing the rich history and culture of SEA refugees in Philly. I hope InterAct continues this community-rooted angle of uplifting underrepresented voices. Seng’s Hair Salon is a must-see from a thoughtful and powerful playwright.

Thanks for reading BSR! If you enjoyed this review, be sure to subscribe to our free newsletter and don’t miss the next one. There’s never a paywall at BSR, and you can join the donors who keep our journalism accessible.