*Legendary actor, Danny Glover returns to the role of James Washington in the revival of Philip Kan Gotanda‘s play, ‘Yohen.’ Glover originated the role in 1999 at the East West Players ‘ David Henry Hwang Theater, so its sort of a homecoming that the piece is returning there and will run November 1 through November 19.
Washington stars with Tony award winning actress June Angela as Sumi, his Japanese wife, in this dramatic play about an interracial couple who has been married for 37-years but is now struggling with that marriage following the husband’s retirement from the U.S. Army.
Now that James is home practically all the time, life and its many intricacies — love, aging, etc. come into question by the couple.
Ben Guillory, who directs this production of Yohen, told Broadway World, “The Robey Theatre Company is thrilled to once again collaborate with East West Players to present the revival of the play Yohen by Philip Kan Gotanda.”
“When our two theaters came together to mount Philip’s two-person play in 1999 with Danny Glover and Nobu McCarthy, we knew we had the ingredients for an exceptional and dynamic artistic combination-one that comes along rarely.
The examination of a marital relationship is not new, but the intricacies of its inner workings are always fascinating. This current production with Danny returning as James and the extraordinary artist June Angela as Sumi will further examine this. The revelation in Yohen is that there are no fixed and absolute answers; there’s only that ephemeral element we each define as love.”
In a review of the play in 1999, Variety explained why the playwright named the play, “Yohen.”
?Yohen? is a Japanese term for the occasional accident that causes a clay object to come out slightly misshapen when pottery is fired in a kiln. It is up to the individual viewing the object to decide whether the end result is ugly or more beautiful because of the imperfection. Gotanda uses the term as a metaphor for James and Sumi?s marriage.
‘Yohen’ is co-produced by Robey Theatre Company and East West Players at David Henry Hwang Theatre, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles 90012.
Performances are Thurs., Fri., Sat. at 8:00, and Sun. at 2:00 p.m. through November 19.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.eastwestplayers.org or by calling (213) 625-7000, please be sure to make any special needs requests known when booking your tickets.
Student, senior, and group discounts are available. General Admission ticket prices range from $40 to $60. Dates, details, and ticket prices are subject to change.
