Pearl Ong Speeds to Lesbian Liberation as All-Night Cabby

by Zack Rogow

Pearl Ong has certainly lived a larger-than-life story. She went from Hong Kong princess to joining the lesbian liberation scene in San Francisco in the 70s, driving a taxi during late-night hours.

In “Night Driver,” Ong unfolds her privileged past with quick humor and an easy rapport. With delicious details, she tells us how, growing up in Hong Kong, she went with her mother to sumptuous banquets and fittings of silk dresses at a seamstress. When the family’s finances go bust, they move to California. Ong quips that instead of becoming nouveau riche, they become nouveau poor.

Thrown into a Los Angeles high school in the late 60s, Ong discovers a world of drugs and parties, much wilder than her parents’ prim-and-proper life. She drops out of college to become a late-night cab driver in San Francisco, immersing herself in the glitzy lesbian bar scene of the disco era.

Ong shines as she drops ironic one-liners with great delivery. We eat up her asides as she makes fun of her aspiration to be a cool all-night party reveler.

Ong also zeroes in with sharp details to create vivid scenes. She recalls the dim sum parlors of her youth, and “the clink of teacups against their saucers.” Ong also delivers stories seamlessly with powerful punch lines. She tells us how she physically confronts a fare-beater who tried to disappear into an apartment building.

As a performer, Ong glides smoothly from one scene to the next. She even takes us into a flashback-within-a-flashback without our losing the thread of the story, because she inhabits each scene so fully,. When she boots an obnoxious rider right onto the Embarcadero Freeway, her boss delivers a scolding!

“Night Driver” overflows with juicy, nostalgic details about San Francisco lesbian bars. We are right there with her spot-on disco music clips and sharp portrayals of bartenders and patrons snorting lines.

Ultimately, “Night Driver” is neither a coming-out tale, nor an all-night cabby saga. The show covers Ong’s involvement in the drug scene and her “dropping out” in rebellion against her parents’ conformity.

Pearl Ong asks herself tough questions: Is it worth rebelling for its own sake? Can rebellion lead to a fulfilling life?

While Ong is skilled at one-liners, the play needs more in the way of conflict and pathos. The turning point feels almost like a casual summing up, rather than a life-changing moment.

When she invents dialogues with others, Ong goes half-way toward creating other personalities. She sketches her mom, who plays a huge role, in superficial details. We would love to hear more about Ong’s nearest and dearest, to get more insight into her journey.

Pearl Ong is so gifted, both as writer and performer. “Night Driver” is a hugely promising debut in full-length theater that Ong can build on for future productions.

 

Zack Rogow is a Bay Area playwright, dramaturg, and literary translator: www.zackrogow.com

“Night Driver” —written & performed by Pearl Ong, directed by David Ford, at The Marsh, San Francisco. Info: TheMarsh.org – Saturdays – to April 5, 2025.

Cast: Pearl Ong (as herself)

Banner photo: Writer-performer Pearl Ong. Photos: Cynthia Smalley