De la Fuente a joy to watch in ‘Truths’

The experiences of Japanese-Americans in World War II have been popular subjects in local theater for years. Several plays have covered the exploits of Japa­nese-American soldiers, and Kumu Kahua Theatre’s productions of "12-1-A" and "A Jive Bomber’s Christmas" explored life inside the internment camps and the conflicts between those who wanted to help the American war effort and the "No No Boys" who found the wording of the mandatory loyalty oath so onerous they refused to sign it.

"Hold These Truths," written by Jeanne Sakata and brought to Hono­lulu by "Hawaii Five-0" star Daniel Dae Kim, (and Honolulu Theatre for Youth) is the story of how Gordon Hira­ba­ya­shi, a Japa­nese-American in Washington state, took his plea for justice in wartime all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. It is a remarkable story, and with Joel de la Fuente as the star of the one-man show, "Hold These Truths" is must-see theater as an actor’s tour de force as well.

De la Fuente uses an actor’s basic tools — voice, posture, facial expressions — to create vivid and distinctive characters. We see Hira­ba­ya­shi as a young child encountering racism and the J-word in Washington; as a determined young activist who puts his faith in the ideals promised to all American citizens by the Constitution; and as an acclaimed professor nearing retirement who shares the final chapter in the story.

De la Fuente’s beautifully nuanced portrayal makes Hira­ba­ya­shi a fascinating American hero anyone would enjoy meeting.

He also provides a kaleidoscopic cavalcade of other characters: Hira­ba­ya­shi’s unconventional issei parents, various people he met while a student at the University of Washington, military officers, attorneys, law enforcement personnel and several of the Supreme Court justices who heard his case in 1943.

His performance makes "Hold These Truths" both entertaining and enlightening entertainment. In one key scene we share Hira­ba­ya­shi’s disappointment when he finds that even liberals can be racists — or can at least accommodate racist viewpoints when it suits them. Another scene aptly conveys his sense of freedom when he discovers during a trip to New York City that the racial segregation he lives with on the West Coast doesn’t exist there.

A minimalist set — a few chairs and a suitcase — suffices to represent locales as diverse as the Empire State Building and a prison cell. Effective use of lighting heightens the impact of de la Fuente’s performance.

Key sections of the script come from court records. One of the most telling is Justice Frank Murphy’s comment during the Supreme Court hearing on Hira­ba­ya­shi’s case that the American government’s policy of imprisoning a group of citizens solely because of their ethnicity is similar to the German government’s treatment of Jews.