PHOTO COURTESY OF PASEDENA PLAYHOUSE Pasadena
Playhouse
June Angela (left) and Lina
Patel star in “Ikebana (Living Flowers)” by
Velina Hasu Houston. The show will run through Oct. 22.
By Carolyn Brown
Daily Bruin Contributor
Many people will go to great lengths to honor traditions.
The theatrical production, “Ikebana (Living
Flowers),” set in 1957 Tokyo and written by Velina Hasu
Houston, brings together two young women struggling to understand
the changes that are propelling Japan from its traditional culture
into a more westernized one.
Themes of racial identity and personal freedom are interwoven in
“Ikebana,” directed by Shirley Jo Finney, through the
lives of five characters trying to make sense of their place in the
ethnocentric and rapidly changing post-World War II society of
Japan.
Hanako, played by Lina Patel, a stunningly beautiful woman with
mixed European and Japanese features, struggles with the prejudices
and abuse she faces in Japanese society. Other women are appalled
by her mixed race, while men are enchanted by her beauty. Both
reactions result in her being treated as less than human.
When the story begins, Hanako has been sold into servitude to
Dr. Itamura, who is intoxicated by her beauty and sees her as an
exotic representation of the meeting between East and West. Through
Hanako, Dr. Itamura revels in his fascination with Western
culture.
Dr. Itamura’s daughter Ayame, played by June Angela, is a
Japanese woman with all the privileges of money and position. Her
movements and activities, however, are restricted by her
domineering and traditional father who insists on selecting a
husband for her. Dr. Itamura, performed by Dana Lee, clings to his
traditional Japanese beliefs, even as they threaten to bring down
his stable home.
The contrast between Hanako and Ayame is not only about Japanese
culture, but serves as a universal statement of personal freedom of
spirit. While Hanako is trapped in prejudice and servitude, her
physical features have set her apart from the restraints of
Japanese society. She is able to dream and to believe in her own
ability.
For instance, she dreams of climbing Mt. Fuji and tells Ayame,
“Fujiyama is not so high ““ you climb it one step at a
time until you reach the top.”
Ayame’s personal plight is symbolized by the art of
ikebana, flower arranging, which is a painstaking and highly
prescriptive means of creating “perfectly balanced
beauty.” Her stable, quiet life of beauty and the love of her
father have left her spirit stilted and without dreams. It is
Hanako, whom Ayame is initially suspicious of due to her beauty,
who opens a window of light and air into Ayame’s life.
The contrast between the lives of the two women is further
accentuated through the eyes of two men who are chosen as suitors
for Ayame by her father. While these young men speak eloquently of
their desire to find the stability inherent in traditional society,
both are attracted to Hanako for what she represents ““ the
new, exotic and free.
Likewise, Ayame’s ikebana arrangements draw no compliments
from the suitors, but Hanako’s random flower arrangements are
admired by both men. Hanako explains her creations as “free
expression ikebana.”
Hanako’s unsettling, but intoxicating presence in the
lives of Dr. Itamura and the two young suitors of Ayame, acts to
bring the fragile bits of order in their lives to a chaotic climax,
while leaving the two struggling women to pursue their dreams in an
uncertain future.
Shirley Jo Finney’s direction uses choreographed movement
of the characters and a sparse stage setting to create a stylized
production that is informed and influenced by Japanese theatrical
style. Along with the set, passionate physical acting brings to
life the play’s emotionally-charged dialogue.
Houston is a multi-genre author of plays, films, television,
cultural criticism, poetry and prose. Much of Houston’s
repertoire reflects her understanding of cultural and racial
identity as the child of a Japanese mother and an African-American
father. She is currently at work on three other world
premieres.
“Ikebana” is not an intellectual journey into
Japanese culture, but an emotional experience of the discovery of
personal freedom and identity. It is a window of insight into the
complicated aggregation of Eastern and Western cultures, which is
still very much a part of modern life.
THEATER: “Ikebana (Living Flowers)” is playing at
The Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., Pasadena, through
Oct. 22. Performances are Tuesday ““ Friday at 8 p.m.,
Saturday at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Tickets are $15 ““ $42.50 and can be purchased through
Telecharge at (800) 233-3123.