BWW Reviews: Tragic HOLD THESE TRUTHS at ACT Fails to Engage

The trouble with one man shows is that it's difficult to make them engaging no matter the subject. Such is the pitfall that Jeanne Sakata's "Hold These Truths", currently playing at ACT Theatre, falls into. This may be an incredibly horrifying thing that happened to this man but unless you have an engaging way to tell it you might as well be trapped with someone at a party as they recount (in detail) their life story. And while that conversation might be ok for a little while, after 90 minutes it becomes wearing.

The tale itself is a tragic one and puts a spotlight on one of the more shameful moments in American history as a young Japanese American man, Gordon Hirabayashi (Ryun Yu), is imprisoned after refusing to voluntarily report to the Japanese internment camps during World War II. Yes, it's a terrible thing that happened to this man and many others during this tumultuous time, but that first sentence pretty much sums up the story that Sakata is trying to convey and then we still have another 90 minutes to go.

During that 90 minutes Sakata and director Jessica Kubzansky have Yu recounting Hirabayashi's journey with an endless series of "And then I did this" and "And then I went there" statements occasionally stopping to reenact a conversation with someone by talking to himself. It's a device that can and has worked in some plays but here it feels stilted and full of unnecessary pauses. And that, coupled with the laundry list of various events that happened told in such a passive way just doesn't create an interesting evening.

Yu is likable enough in the part and doesn't come across as preachy or accusatory but also doesn't have many levels in his performance. He retains a static even temper throughout the entire show and the description of this failure of the government and the courts. And while that state of calm may benefit you in court, it makes for boring theater.

The play just suffers from so many ethnically charged one man show traps from its use of the already overused and cliché statement "I first noticed I was Asian when ..." to failing to come up with much more than a list of events. Maybe I'm jaded as the rest of the audience seemed to be eating this up or maybe I need more than to be presented with an ethnic atrocity to make me feel good about a piece of theater. Yes, agreed, what happened to Mr. Hirabayashi is awful and those involved with creating those camps and perpetuating the lies told to make themselves feel better about their actions should feel ashamed. But as ridiculous and terrible as the acts of our government were I still need more in order for the recounting of those acts to make for an interesting theatrical experience which is why I'm giving "Hold These Truths" a dissatisfied MEH with my three letter rating system. An interesting subject that just didn't grab me.

"Hold These Truths" performs at ACT Theatre through August 16th. For tickets or information contact the ACT box office at 206-292-7676 or visit them online at www.acttheater.org.

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