Ballad of Yachiyo

by Philip Kan Gotanda

Overview

This dramatic tale of a young Japanese girl's sexual awakening, and ultimate social downfall, in Hawaii's sugar-cane plantation system of the early twentieth century, is based on the life of the author's aunt who died at age nineteen. In this moving elegy, Gotanda juxtaposes the world of traditional Japanese arts, such as pottery and the tea ceremony, with the conflicting social realities of a culture in transition.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781559361224
Publisher:	Theatre Communications Group
Publication date:	10/01/1996
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.20(d)

Editorial Reviews

Gotanda's writing is superb...a great deal of fine craftsmanship on display here, and much to enjoy.

Variety

...one of the country's most consistently intriguing playwrights...

San Francisco Examiner

As he has in past plays, Gotanda defies expectations...

Oakland Tribune

Set amid the sugar cane fields of 1919 Hawaii, Guggenheim-winning playwright Gotanda's (www.philipkangotanda.com) 1995 play centers on 16-year-old Yachiyo, whose poor parents hope she will attract a well-to-do husband. Instead, she finds herself in an affair with a married potter who cares more for his art than for her. Gotanda perfectly captures the time and place of his setting and the limited prospects facing young women such as Yachiyo. Composed of short scenes, his play has a cinematic quality, recalling particularly the films of Kenji Mizoguchi. This L.A. Theatre Works production is alternately rousing and grim, with music and sound effects (e.g., birds, waves) supporting the story. June Angela, as the title character, and Lane Nishikawa, as her lover, are the standouts in the seven-person cast. For those interested in ethnic dramas and Hawaiian and Japanese American history.—Michael Adams, CUNY Graduate Ctr. Lib.

Library Journal