Santa Rosa native Susan Lieu's one-woman show about mom's death tours the nation

Santa Rosa native Susan Lieu, who performed her one-woman show, “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother” at The Marsh last May, plans more performances in San Francisco this weekend, before continuing her national tour.

Lieu’s mother - born Ha Thuy Phuong, and later adopting the American name Jennifer Ha - died from plastic surgery malpractice in San Francisco in 1996, when Lieu, now 34, was 11 years old.

The doctor who performed the surgery on Lieu’s mother was the subject of multiple complaints and ultimately lost his license to practice medicine before his death more than five years ago.

Lieu was born in the United States to a Vietnamese immigrant family that came to the United States in 1983 and settled in Santa Rosa in 1993 to open the Today’s Nails salon on Fourth Street downtown.

The business still continues today under the same name but different ownership.

The author and actress opened her tour earlier this month at the FRIGID Theatre Festival in New York City.

“Since New Yorkers are honest, I braced myself. Night after night, the response was magical. Kicking off the nine-city national tour in one of the most vibrant theatre cities in the world has reassured me that my story on human suffering and healing is universal and meant to be shared,” she said.

Lieu will perform at the Reimagine End of Life Festival at San Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 25-26, and 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 27. Admission costs $28 at susanlieu.me/shows. For more information, go to letsreimagine.org.

The rest of the tour dates include: Nov. 6-7 at Joe’s Movement Emporium in Washington, D.C.; Nov. 14-17 at The Den Theatre in Chicago; Nov. 21-23 at the Pao Center in Boston; Dec. 8 at George R. R. Martin’s Jean Cocteau Cinema in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Dec. 14-15 at Highways Performance Space in Los Angeles.

Lieu is the first Maria Carrillo High School Graduate to go to Harvard University.

While still at Maria Carrillo, she won the 2003 Youth Service Award in the citizenship category, presented by The Press Democrat.

She later graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social studies in 2008 from Harvard, and a master’s of business administration degree in 2014 from Yale.

In addition to her theatrical endeavors, she founded San Francisco’s Chocolatier artisan chocolate store with her sister and has dabbled in stand-up comedy in San Francisco, including work at the iconic spot The Purple Onion.

You can reach staff writer Dan Taylor at 707-521-5243 or dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com.