Theater Review : A Seriocomic Look at the Casualties of ‘War’

“Miss Saigon” had its helicopter, and “Laughter From the Children of War” has one, too--a small toy model lowered on a wire.

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“This is all we can afford,” one performer pleads with his disappointed colleagues during a “Saigon” mini-parody. “This is low-budget theater.”

Maybe so, but this performance piece by the Vietnamese American troupe Club O’Noodles manages some pretty spectacular special effects without costly props. It’s amazing what this 10-member ensemble can do with cheap stuff like dance, movement and song.

“Laughter,” part of the “Treasure in the House 1995” performance series at Highways Performance Space, takes a seriocomic look at how the Vietnam War changed the lives of Vietnamese families. Some emigrated to the United States where, as depicted here, they struggled to learn English and adapt to American culture. Yet Vietnamese Americans have also struggled, the show suggests, with a deep tension between their cultural heritage and a tragically misguided war many people would just as soon forget.

The troupe takes some amusing swipes at the prevailing pop cultural views of Southeast Asia. In the “Miss Saigon” bit, the title heroine’s plea for “a white guy to save us” is answered by none other than Rambo.

The show also spoofs a stereotypically close-knit Vietnamese family, presided over by a father whose mangled English spawns misunderstandings at fast-food counters and elsewhere.

But “Laughter” is perhaps more notable for technique than content. Co-directors Hung Nguyen and Nobuko Miyamoto de-emphasize speech and narrative in favor of movement and other visual presentation. The resulting images suggest ideas and feelings rather than tell stories.

The performers first appear amid newspapers artfully crumpled up and spread across the stage to suggest jungle foliage. They’re marching slowly as they sing a song in Vietnamese, but as a rap song grows louder the performers one by one begin dancing to the backbeat.

In the space of a few minutes, the troupe has created an indelible visual metaphor of cultural assimilation. “Laughter” is full of such moments.

* “Laughter From the Children of War,” Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica. Tonight at 8:30, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. $10. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.