There’s a moment in “Cambodian Rock Band” where the deployment of a shock-torture device in a grim interrogation chamber echoes eerily the sight of a guitar getting hooked up to an amp.
That’s Lauren Yee’s bracing, tonally bold and at times breathtaking play for you, though. Whether meditating on genocide or reveling in the ecstasy and raw fury of rock, this work is straight-up electric.
La Jolla Playhouse’s area premiere of “Rock Band” brings Yee — a University of California San Diego grad turned national playwriting sensation — back to town with her most celebrated piece (so far). And it’s a piece that manages both to get in your face and set you back on your heels.
