Journey To Topaz

Masquers Cabaret

reviewed by Jose Ruiz

Sometimes it seems that the clock never moves forward. Back in1941, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, thousands of Japanese Americans were yanked away from their normal lives and sent to internment camps, suspected of possible complicity with the enemy. Today, Americans of Middle Eastern ancestry face similar suspicions. There are no detention camps (yet) and the government is not appropriating their businesses or homes, but if the predicted war doesn’t go as planned, who knows?!

All this is to preface that the current production of Journey to Topaz at Masquers is the story of Yuki, a Japanese American girl whose life was shredded by World War II, and the government’s reaction to her family who was, by any standards, living the typical American life.

Roye Mae is exceptional in the one-woman presentation that chronicles a young girl’s anguish as she prepares for Christmas, only to see men in black drag her father away to a camp with no explanation or reason. In a tiny stage, she creates vivid pictures of her home, the barn in which the family is thrown when they are evacuated, and the desolate, wind swept barracks in Topaz, Utah where the family was eventually settled while the war took its course.

Author Jeanette Farr has taken Yoshiko Uchida’s novel and crafted a compelling and engrossing monologue that makes for a powerful presentation depicting the events of the family’s ordeal. The strength of the play is not that it deals with horrible atrocities, but rather personal details that define one’s life. It’s not the bombs or the insults that cause pain. It’s the loss of a pet, close friends who suddenly become distant, a piece of jewelry given by a friend, a brother whose ambitions suddenly change. These are the elements Roye Mae brings to life. The simple narrative directed by Carin Heidlebach doesn’t go for melodrama. Yet its low-key message tugs at the heartstrings and moves the audience to an occasional tear, ending with an enthusiastic ovation. Many stories have been written about this aspect of the war, but few have explored the experience as intimately. The Journey continues playing Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. through March 22. For information call (323) 653-4848.