*Two people from entirety different worlds. Entirely different cultures. One African American, the other Japanese. In America, we are still unaccustomed to this type of interracial marriage. While Black/white unions are now almost second-nature, Asians are still such a close-knit group as a whole; and moreover, in their individual ethnicity.
In Philip Kan Gotanda’s play, Yohen, we see a marriage between these two unique cultures; one that has lasted for 37 years, with the catch being James, husband to Sumi, has been away in the military for most of it.
Now he has retired and they are no longer the young couple who may have fallen in love based on assumptions, needs, and naivete. This new schedule forces them to confront a more mature existence about love, life and the reality of where they stand now.
In the beginning we see James returning to the home he shared somewhat remotely with Sumi. As he knocks on the other side of the door. We see Sumi slightly prepping herself on the other side before reaching for the doorknob (smoothing her hair, clothing, etc.).
They almost appear as strangers. In fact, you’re waiting for her to do a traditional Japanese bow.
But its all by design. Sumi wants James to be the man she met on their first date, and expects him to act this way.
“This is stupid!” he says in frustration.
Clearly, he doesn’t want to play her game. He wants Heineken, she gives him Pellegrino. He remembers a dad who means no harm and comes from the old school learning; while she remembers a father-in-law who couldn’t stand her. She wants to do new things; grow and move forward. He has to be pushed out of his contentment.
She wants him a certain way, while he just wants her to accept him for who he is (and always was).
Still, even in the midst of the obvious life-changes — especially in Sumi — you see the love and care they have for each other.
The play’s title is used as metaphor for this couple’s union. Yohen is a piece of pottery that has suffered an accident in the kiln firing, perhaps changing its coloring.
In the play, Sumi explains this concept to James in a way that she hopes he will recognize as beautiful. But James is a no-frills kind of guy. A former boxer interested now in helping at-risk youth, he calls the Yohen examples she shows him (the clay pottery in their home, artwork in a book) “ugly.”
But her response to his brutal honesty is where you witness the love in their relationship; as she giggles and he teases.
Tony award-winning actress June Angela (‘Shogun the Musical,’ ‘The King and I’ with Yul Brenner) is perfect as the Japanese wife who, still very traditional in nature, yearns to come into her own even amid the harsh realities of being married to an American Black man who is satisfied with where he is and confused about why its not enough for her.
Danny Glover, who originated and now reprises his James Washington character, has a tendency to make every character he develops another part of him. He is, in a word, simply brilliant.
The Ben Guillory directed play reunites the collaboration between the Robey Theatre Company and the East West Players; who first presented Yohen in 1999 with stars Glover and actress Nobu McCarthy. Guillory, who came up with Glover in the Bay Area theatre scene, says…
The examination of a marital relationship is not new, but the intricacies of its inner workings are always fascinating and revealing about our fundamental familial relationships.
This truth comes to light especially in a heated altercation between Sumi and James. Her attempts to paint a prideful, upstanding picture of her family — while making disparaging remarks about James, his family and his goals — come crashing down as James sets her straight and reveals the truth about what he knows about her family and their history.
The scene is truly one of the best in the play.
Guillory continues…
“…How we come to view change, examine what is beautiful and what is not, and what is acceptable and what is not is a universal question.”
In Yohen, we see what Buddhists call a ‘Human Revolution.’ Two people who must go deep inside (no short cuts) to confront their individual and collaborative ‘ugly’ and recognize that only then will they see what truly matters. And from this place of revelation they can make the decision to either move forward or give up from a more honest perspective.
How refreshing to see a play where the playwright, in this case, Philip Kan Gotanda, doesn’t tip-toe around the harsh personal and societal realities that confront those who dare to marry in spite of strong cultural differences. The excellent levels of staging and depth of emotion from Ben Guillory’s direction brings you inside both the underlying anguish each character is experiencing as well as the unspoken connection of their humanity.
Lovely, and aptly homey, scenic design is by Christopher Scott Murillo. Great lighting at every turn by Michael Ricks.
Yohen, presented by the Robey Theatre Company and East West Players is at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center of the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012 until November 19. Performances are at 8 p.m. from Thursday to Saturday, with a 2 p.m. matinee show on Sunday.
To purchase tickets, go online at www.eastwestplayers.org or call (213) 625-7000; where you can also mention any special needs accommodations you might need.
General Admission ticket prices range from $40 to $60. Student, senior, and group discounts are also available.
Dates, details, and ticket prices are subject to change.
About East West Players
East West Players (EWP), the nation’s longest-running professional theatre of color in the country and the largest producing organization of Asian American artistic work, was founded in 1965, at a time when Asian Pacific Islanders (APIs) faced limited or no opportunities to see their experiences reflected outside of stereotypical and demeaning caricatures in the American landscape. EWP not only ensures that API stories are told, but works to increase access, inclusion, and representation in the economy.
About The Robey Theatre Company
The Robey Theatre Company (RTC) develops and produces provocative, socially conscious plays written about the Global Black Experience. Founded in 1994 by Ben Guillory, Producing Artistic Director, and Danny Glover, RTC addresses the lack of representation and visibility for artists of color in theater and the performing arts by exploring and cultivating works originating from a Black sensibility.
About writer DeBorah B. Pryor:
DeBorah B. Pryor is a veteran entertainment journalist who began her writing career in her native New York City more than 40 years ago and has performed hundreds of interviews with a diverse range of celebrities. A former tenured stage actress and member of Actors Equity, she is a Drama graduate from San Francisco State University, and has developed curriculum for and taught classes in communication at UCLA Extension. Pryor recently completed her first nonfiction book detailing her experience as an Uber driver. The book, already getting good reviews, is currently being shopped to agents. Follow her @pryor_deborah or via email at [email protected]
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