Joel de la Fuente is terrific as the solo actor in Jeanne Sakata's "Hold These Truths." He plays many different roles and is convincing in all of them. We particularly love how he shows us a young man moving into middle age with just a hitch of the shoulder and slump of the back. This is an award-winning performance.
American history, present and past, is an uncredited partner in Sakata's story. While taken from a memoir written by Gordon Hirabayashi, a Japanese-American who sued the American government for imprisoning American citizens of Japanese ancestry during World War II, what we see on stage is as much a condemnation of today's America as that of the 1940s. Nasty echoes of intolerance remain in our minds as Hirabayashi's story unfolds in front of us.
Lisa Rothe's direction keeps everything moving and de la Fuente is spectacular.
All that said, we exited the theater feeling a little bit underwhelmed. It is a large stage for one actor. Good as Joel de la Fuente is, we missed interplay; our attention flagged somewhat as the show marched towards its inevitable conclusion. We are Americans, and feel shamed by our country's past and present conduct. As history, "Hold These Truths" has a great amount of power, but as drama we found the scope of the story perhaps above the capacity of any one actor.
RATINGS ☼ ☼ ☼
"Hold These Truths"
Lucie Stern Theatre
1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto
Through August 5
$40-$100
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