An Afro-Amerasian searches for meaning in a multi-media production at the George Street Playhouse
By: Susan Van Dongen
IT took a bubbly college roommate from the South to teach Takayo Fischer about openly showing affection, especially with her parents.
She recalls watching her spirited roommate hug and kiss her Southern mom and dad, calling them pet names like "sweetie" and "honey." Ms. Fischer was puzzled because her own Japanese-American family was so reserved. She was more familiar with the respectful reticence her parents had instilled in the household. Thinking she might break the ice a little, the veteran actress describes coming home for a semester break and throwing her arms around her surprised father.
"I thought he was going to die," she says. "You just didn’t do this in my family."
Ms. Fischer is talking about the colossal differences in family dynamics among various cultures, crucial for understanding her role as Satomi, the stoic, disciplinarian mother in the new play Waiting For Tadashi. Written by celebrated Afro-Amerasian playwright Velina Hasu Houston and directed by David Saint, Waiting For Tadashi made its world premiere Jan. 8 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick.
Although the play focuses on the problems in a mixed black and Asian family, Ms. Fischer says it will resonate with anyone who has had to navigate the stormy waters of family conflict, especially those who feel alienated from the inner circle.
"The play really speaks to everyone," Ms. Fischer says. "It spoke to me and I knew I really wanted to be a part of it. I was so thrilled when I auditioned and got the part."
The central character is Tadashi (Clark Jackson), an Afro-Amerasian man searching for meaning and identity. The product of a liaison between a Japanese woman and a black American soldier during the U.S. occupation of Japan, Tadashi is abandoned by his mother and left in an impoverished orphanage.
He is adopted as an adolescent by another black American soldier and his Japanese wife, Satomi, who take Tadashi back to the United States to start a family. Unfortunately, the boy’s adoptive mother never bonds with him.
"(My character) is not thrilled about the idea of adoption," Ms. Fischer says. "But she feels pity for Tadashi, seeing how he is abused in the orphanage. There was a lot of discrimination for these (mixed race) children, so he brings a lot of baggage. It’s also difficult for Satomi, though, especially after she has two girls of her own. Tadashi never really blends with the family."
The main character finds himself in Kansas, surrounded by white-bread middle America. It’s the worst of all places for a refugee, especially one of mixed race.
"The ‘waiting’ in the title refers to the way Tadashi is waiting to be understood, waiting to find himself," Ms. Fischer says.
In one powerful scene, the alienated youth talks about how he’ll never fit in, because he falls between so many ethnic cracks and therefore doesn’t speak the language of American culture.
In a way, Ms. Fischer can relate to being treated like a stranger in one’s own country. Growing up in California during World War II, she and her parents were placed in various relocation camps in that state as well as Arkansas. She doesn’t seem resentful, though, and cheerfully talks about attending camp reunions. She even brings her husband, an Air Force veteran who fought in the European theater of World War II.
"I guess I’ve come to a place in my life where I’ve accepted it," she says. "I’ve survived and there’s something nice about that feeling. I feel like I’m lucky to be here."
This is Ms. Fischer’s third performance in a world premiere of a Velina HasuHouston play. The prior productions were Tea at the Manhattan Theatre Club and Shedding the Tiger at the Sacramento (Calif.) Playhouse. She has appeared on Broadway in The World of Suzie Wong and in many television and film roles. Interestingly, she has also done voice-overs for numerous animated series, including Batman Beyond and Mr. T.
Ms. Fischer had been away from live theater for quite some time but was drawn back into performing after seeing a workshop production of Ms. Houston’s Tea.
"(Ms. Houston) often writes in a very poetic fashion, from experiences with her mother and her family," Ms. Fischer says. "All of her plays are a little different, but very meaningful to me. Over the years we’ve become good friends."
She also praises director David Saint for bringing together an exceptional creative team, which includes lighting designer Joe Saint, set designer James Youmans and Tony Award-winning costumer Theoni V. Aldredge. Mr. Saint has also brought choreographer Yass Hakoshima onboard. A world-renowned dancer and mime, Mr. Hakoshima is coaching the actors in a variety of stylized movements, some of which bring to mind traditional Japanese Noh theater. In addition, multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording artist David Van Tiegham wrote the original music, which mixes American jazz with classical Japanese Shakuhachi (bamboo flute) music.
"What’s amazing about Tadashi is that even though the character’s heritage may be unfamiliar to us, by the play’s end we have really discovered ourselves in the piece," Mr. Saint says.
Ms. Fischer agrees. "It doesn’t matter if you’re Caucasian or African-American or Asian. It’s a very universal story because it’s about relationships."
Takayo Fischer appears in the world premiere of Velina Hasu Houston’s Waiting for Tadashi at the George Street Playhouse, 9 Livingston Ave., New Brunswick, through Feb. 3. Tickets cost $26-$45. For information, call (732) 246-7717. On the Web: www.georgestplayhouse.org