THREE LIVES is a one-man “performance theater” show that tells the autobiographical tale of Alex Luu’s harrowing escape from war-torn Saigon as an ethnic Chinese/Vietnamese refugee in 1975. What follows is a tumultuous journey seen through the eyes of four distinct characters—Grandpa Luu, Pops Luu, Alex himself, and a younger cousin named Albert.

Spanning an epic four generations and covering roughly three and a half decades (mid-70’s through late 90’s), these men’s lives and experiences intertwine and collide, creating a rich and powerful mosaic that reflects the comical yet painful aspects of assimilation and the search for identity in America. It is also through the prism of these characters’ experiences that we see the chasm that inevitably forms between the immigrant and American-born experience of so many Asians in America.

Stylistically, THREE LIVES is a fast-paced roller-coaster ride that blends kinetic physical movement, performance, and monologue that is at once humorous and heartrending.

THREE LIVES is as much about the tearing down of stereotypes—especially of Asian males in particular—as it is about identity politics, ageism, and the promise and de-construction of the American Dream/Nightmare.

Finally, THREE LIVES challenges the audience to re-think, re-evaluate, and embrace the humanity in all of us.