“Nihonmachi:? The Place to Be,” the Grateful Crane Ensemble’s musical journey about Japantown as told through the eyes of three generations of a local manju-making family, will be returning to Los Angeles on Saturday, June 23, at 2 p.m. at the Aratani Theatre in the heart of Little Tokyo.
Proceeds from this one-show-only performance will benefit Grateful Crane’s 2018 Goodwill Tour to Tohoku and the Little Tokyo Koban.
Presented by Grateful Crane and the Little Tokyo Public Safety Association, “Nihonmachi: The Place to Be” tells the fictional story of Alan Iwata, a burned-out Sansei manju maker who is shutting down his family business after 99 years.?But just before he closes his doors for good, the spirit of his Issei grandfather returns and takes Alan on a journey back some 77 years to Nihonmachi the way it used to be.
“We’re very pleased to bring this show back to L.A.’s Little Tokyo,” said Soji Kashiwagi, executive director of Grateful Crane. “It tells our story and evokes memories and emotions that only a musical production can do.”
First performed over ten years ago in Japantowns in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles, the show has evolved over the years but has remained relevant, especially given the changes currently happening in Little Tokyo.
“The play’s core message of maintaining our culture and keeping our J-Towns alive is the same,” said Kashiwagi. “It reminds us of who we are and where we come from, and how we need to be remain vigilant in protecting our remaining Japantowns of today.”
Written by Kashiwagi and directed by Darrell Kunitomi (also a cast member), with musical direction by Scott Nagatani, the two-act musical follows a Japanese American family through the Great Depression, the war years in camp, resettlement after camp, redevelopment in the ’50s and ’60s, the Asian American movement of the ’70s and the redress movement in the ’80s.
“By learning his family history,” said Kashiwagi, “Alan realizes the tremendous sacrifices and challenges his family overcame to keep the family business alive, and in the end he decides it’s well worth the extra effort to work one more year so he and the community can celebrate 100 years of making manju together.”
The show also features classic Japanese and American songs interspersed throughout. “All of the songs will trigger fond memories and will take our community back to a special time and place in their lives,” said Kashiwagi.?“For the Nisei, the Japanese songs especially will bring back memories of their Issei parents.
“For the Sansei, these songs are also very emotional because they remember hearing their grandparent or parent singing them as they were growing up. And many of the songs gave our community strength and hope and helped us get through some very difficult times throughout our history.”
The cast includes Kerry Carnahan, Loryce Hashimoto, Yoko Ibuki, Keiko Kawashima, Kurt Kuniyoshi, Merv Maruyama and Helen H. Ota.?Musicians are Nagatani on piano, Danny Yamamoto (of Hiroshima) on drums and taiko, Gordon Bash on bass.
The Aratani Theatre is located at 244 S. San Pedro St. in Downtown Los Angeles. Tickets range from $60 (premium orchestra), $40 (orchestra), and $30 (balcony). Tickets are $30 seniors, students and groups of ten or more. For questions and reservations, call the Grateful Crane ticket line at (310) 995-5841 or the Aratani Theatre Box Office at (213) 680-3700.
‘Mind Game’ at the Egyptian
Facebook accused of gender bias against women engineers
'Orgasms of the Galaxy' are the new punny sex toys, inspired by a certain film
So someone noticed Donald Trump's chin looks like a ... frog
Hirahara to Discuss ‘Hiroshima Boy’ at JANM
Katy Perry compared her old hairstyle to Barack Obama in a joke
'Wootube' is the hit YouTube channel that's making math hella fun again
J.K. Rowling makes Donald Trump look ridiculous with 2 perfect tweets
‘Ramen Heads’ Screening at Nuart
Hero rescues cat from river in dramatic CCTV footage
Hinamatsuri Celebration at GVJCI
This game invites you to smash down China's great internet firewall
Michelle Obama explains her iconic side
Barack Obama wades into French election in favor of Emmanuel Macron
On the Road with Hello Kitty
AMD Smart Access Memory Tested, Benchmarked
Most experts predict capitalism will survive job
Donald Trump breaks his silence on medical marijuana
'We'll Be Rooting for You'
The mysterious recycling company led by 2 Tesla execs
The 15 absolute best memes of 2018The 'Killing Eve' moment at the Golden Globes that you may have missedMacaulay Culkin expertly trolls his little brother on Twitter during the Golden GlobesBarack Obama dressed as Santa to surprise kids at a children's hospitalPresident Obama tweets inspiring New Year's messageA bald eagle went rogue at college football game and landed on fansThe 14 worst White House moments of 2018Of course Snoop Dogg has the hottest take on the government shutdownBelieve the hype: Weighted blankets have an online cult following for a reasonJeff Bezos is getting divorced and of course people are making Alexa jokes The best Halloween sex toys of 2023 Matt Gaetz joins Cameo like disgraced congressman before him Arkadium mini crossword answers for November 24 TikTok's latest viral manicure? 'Boston University Red' nails. Best Black Friday Steam Deck deal: Save $32 on the Elgato Stream Deck+ Best Black Friday Vacuum Deal: 30% off Gtech AirRam 3 Cordless Vacuum 49ers vs. Packers 2024 livestream: How to watch NFL online NYT Strands hints, answers for November 24 'Roblox' players are joining digital pro TikTok users put their partners to 'The Beckham Test' inspired by David and Victoria
0.1338s , 10000.796875 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【phim set long tien viet】'Nihonmachi' Musical Returns to Aratani,Global Hot Topic Analysis
