Review: Gotanda's Sappy San Franciscan Saga

Philip Kan Gotanda's intent to create a play shining light on an internationally-mixed neighborhood of San Francisco post-World War II may have been too lofty a height to hit.  Instead the only lofty theatrical bulls-eye of After the War, debuting at ACT, is its towering set, which is certainly sturdier than the script is spins on.

Credit is deserved to scenic designer, Donald Eastman and the architects and engineers who faced the task of building the elaborate and complicated-dimensions of the Monkawa Boarding House.  The revolving set is a functional device but it's not new for Gotanda, who used the turning-house technique in his 1999 world premiere of Sisters Matsumoto at the San Jose Rep.

A persecuted "no-no boy" Chet, returns home from Japanese internment and prods his romantic past with a desperate dancer Mary-Louise, who is sleeping with the unemployed black-man Earl, who is avoiding an awkward relationship with his sister-in-law Leona.  Meanwhile widowed Lillian has feelings for her brother-in-law Chet.  Olga, the Russian and Japanese-speaking tenant is sleeping with the landlord Mr. Goto to pay-off a debt, but has feelings for the sexually-ambiguous Mr. Oji.  Toss in a mentally-challenged Benji, brother of Mary-Louise, and we've got a perfect late-1940s San Francisco soap-opera.

The 2 1/2 hour show is structured in an endless supply of 10-minute vignettes around the house.  The working gimmick is the brevity of each scene.  We pay attention because we know the house will start turning in mere seconds. And it'll be minutes until we pick back up on that specific storyline, which usually ends with a cliff-hanger: "I'm pregnant!" Fade lights, spin set.

The slices-of-life, like potting eggplant sprigs or the installation of a television antenna, are pleasantly staged; with Jake Rodriguez's background sound design of seagulls, fog horns, and trolley cars setting us at ease.

Throughout the play we do look forward to certain performances, especially Delia MacDougall (Olga) and Francis Jue (Mr. Oji).  Olga is immediately likable and empathetic.  Plus MacDougall's voice skills are exceptional; speaking English in a Japanese-influenced Russian accent (props to dialect coach, Deborah Sussel).  And Broadway and Bay Area favorite, Francis Jue, is winning as the awkward-slash-caring Mr. Oji.  While Olga and Oji are charming together, Jue involuntarily creates some sexual-ambiguity.  We anticipate another word when Oji coins himself as "hom-ely."

Harriet D. Foy (Leona) and Steven Anthony Jones (Earl) deftly dance with some of the heavier themes – however thinly sliced.  Leona's tenacity of being black among Japs provides a quick window into the day-to-day emotional struggles of the neighborhood.  But no sooner has the can o' worms been opened then it's sealed shut.  These edgy moments in the script, where we actually focus on the issues of race and economy, could definitely afford more attention.

After the War (operative word: "after") is billed as people forging ahead; yet so much of the play has characters stuck in the past.  In spite of Gotanda's efforts to pay homage to the struggles of interned Japanese-American citizens returning home and the effects on the African-American community, we find nine characters in an overly melodramatic saga with little to do with WWII's aftermath.  We're reminded every thirty minutes that Chet was a "no-no boy" for the sake of reminding.  But any meaningful or historical dialogue is a mere flash in the pan and (unfortunately) oftentimes amusing to the audience. 

After the War: by Philip Kan Gotanda, directed by Carey Perloff, at the American Conservatory Theatre through April 22, 2007. 2hrs, 40mins with 1 intermission. Tickets ($13.50-$56.50) are available at 415-749-2228 or www.act-sf.org. ACT Ticket Services is located at 405 Geary Street at Mason in San Francisco. Photos by Kevin Berne.

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