Vancouver Opera's "Naomi's Road" goes to the heart of Vancouver's old Japantown
- a fundraiser for Powell Street Festival

The Japanese Canadian community used to thrive along Powell St. in Vancouver.  I remember walking down there in the late 1960's and visiting the different stores, on the search for more origami paper, after being taught to fold origami paper figures by my father.  Today it is a shadow of its former self.  But it's memory is kept alive by both the annual Powell Street Festival
and the Japanese Hall / Japanese Language School on Alexander St.

Naomi's Road opera, put on by the Vancouver Opera Touring Ensemble, came to old Japantown on Saturday night.  It was presented in the hall at the Vancouver Japanese Language School, newly built and connected to the Japanese Hall, built in 1918, which stands alone as the only property among any Japanese Canadian private citizen, business or organization to retain ownership after the war.

About 100 people filled the new hall, in anticipation of watching the touring production which has been playing to schools throughout BC.  This was about the 95th presentation of the production so far, and the cast does a remarkable job of keeping each presentation fresh. 

It was also the 4th time I had seen Naomi's Road, writing a review of the premiere weekend, and also the excerpts presented at the Laurier Institution / Roy Miki lecture at the Chan Centre, and the Vancouver Arts Awards.  Everytime I have seen it, it is enjoyable.  I even find myself humming the songs afterwards now.

Naomi's Road, is the children's version of Joy Kogawa's award winning novel, Obasan.  It tells the story of a family being torn apart by the events of WW2.  The mother goes off to Japan to look after her sick grandmother.  The father's sister comes to help look after the children.  WW2 breaks out, and anybody of Japanese ancestry is "evacuated" from the BC coastal region, and sent to "internment camps."  The father is unexplainedly sent to a different camp (as able-bodied working males were sent to work camps).  The two children Naomi and Steven, aged 10 and 14, learn to deal with racism, and being separated from their parents, as well as the negative impacts of war.

All the performers, Jessica Cheung (Naomi), Gina Oh (mother, Obasan, Mitzie), Sam Chung (Stephen), and Gene Wu (father, train conductor,bully, Roughlock Bill), perform well.  Cheung really conveys the innocence and wonder of a 10 year old, while Chung plays her foil expressing the anger and resentment of being forced into the internment camp. 

Oh and Wu perform well in their multiple roles, convincingly altering ther performances with each character.  In Oh's case from a loving mother, to a reserved aunt, and a youthful child named Mitzie.  Wu does the same, first as a concerned an playful father figure, a racist bully, and also as Rough Lock Bill, a First Nations character that befriends the two children.

The action moves quickly, with multiple scene changes which the actors create by moving screens around as part of their stage action.  It is a wonderful way to experience a small performing arts production, watching all this stage action unfold, as the set evokes Powell St, a living room, a train, an internment camp, and a lakeside beach.

For this performance, it was a treat for the performers to be on a raised stage, rather than floor level at the West Vancouver, or Vancouver Public libraries.  But unfortunately if the performers stood too close to the front the stage, they became back lit and their faces were difficult to be seen.  The piano was also woefully out of tune, but giving the performance and "old-time feel" to fit with it's 1942 setting.

A question and answer was held folowing the performance, and a special treat was that author Joy Kogawa came up on stage with the performers.  Joy exclaimed that she is moved to tears, everytime she sees the opera.  She said that it is a wonderful opportunity for sharing the story of Japanese Canadians and for creating healing.

Questions covered many topics, but in this setting at the Japanese Language School in Japantown, it was interesting to hear that many former internment camp survivors thanked the performers for sharing the story, and that they related very strongly to the performance.

At the end, I stood beside the pamphets for the Land Conservancy campaign to help save Kogawa House, and answered questions about the Save Kogawa House campaign.

also see:
my review of Naomi's Road premiere weekend,
my interview with Naomi's Road performers