Kenny Yun’s Lettucetown Lies
Even if you came of age years or decades ago and are generally uninspired by the tribulations of adolescence, Kenny Yun’s one man comedic performance, Lettucetown Lies, is likely to strike a chord at one point or another. He fills the intimate upstairs theatre at the Marsh with witty hilarity and heartfelt storytelling.
His story concerns the absurdities and surprising pleasures of being a gay Asian-American teen in Salinas, California, aka Lettucetown, where his family was forced to move when he was banished from the third grade in another town. "The fertilizer smells so bad I had to start smoking," he retorts about his arrival in his new hick-ridden home. But, as we see through his loving but bittersweet portrayal of his friends and experiences, Yun came to adore the bucolic setting where he came to terms with his sexual and personality differences.
Yun’s first person accounts of being a misfit and an affable rebel are particularly touching. He quips that Catholic school was damn hard because there were so many cute European descent boys about, and the few Asians present were stereotyped as excelling at Math and Science, but "the only thing I learned in Biology class is that my genes for Math and Science are RECESSIVE." His portrayal of various cohorts also adds much to the performance, though, as he leaps from voice to voice in exuberant interactions. Of his friend, Michelle, he says, "I took our friendship to the next level....with Aquanet," in describing a hair-sculpting moment with her.
Yun excels at delivering such quips, in which a cliché or simple statement is followed by an unexpected element. Also, the emotions that he experiences are punctuated by clips of popular 80s tunes, such as Cyndi Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, which helps energize the performance and make it relatable.
There are scant interludes in which Yun’s command over the audiences may wane; generally, his story and performance are whimsical and evocative. Experiences common to teenage gay boys, such as being a reject in gym class, crushing on often homophobic male buddies, and deriving inspiration from female pop singers, are told with rejuvenating wit.
There are also notably satisfying serious moments that make this a well-rounded piece. Much of these are in the connection that Yun has with a camp counselor when his parents send him to culture summer camp in Korea where he has to "rough it without re-runs of Dynasty". Yun’s piece is assuredly one that will have audiences laughing throughout and leaving with the sense of having witnessed a modestly profound story as rich in heart as it is in humor.
Extended through July 25 @ The Marsh San Francisco | 1062 Valencia Street (near 22nd Street) San Francisco, CA 94110 | 24/7 Ticket Hotline 800-838-3006 | Info 415-826-5750
