The relationship between art and life — which imitate each other — and the connections that tie Hawaii residents together, add depth and meaning to Kumu Kahua Theatre’s current production of “Da Pidgin Guerrilla” Lee A. Tonouchi’s local theater classic, “Gone Feeshing.”
Previously produced at Kumu Kahua in 2004, “Gone Feeshing” was inspired by the death of a friend of the Tonouchi family. Stanley Sakuma died in 1982 while trying to save children in trouble in the water off Mokoli‘i island, aka Chinaman’s Hat. He was 41, healthy and a good swimmer, but suddenly he was gone.
Cast member Brandon Hagio knows the experience of unexpected loss firsthand.
“I lost my father when I was 12,” Hagio said recently, while the cast, Tonouchi and director Taurie Kinoshita were preparing for a rehearsal. “It’s something that I think is difficult to portray if you haven’t experienced such grief at an early age. That’s also what brought me to the script as well. I saw myself in the characters and I’ve been there so I know what grief feels like.”
Hagio stars with Alaka‘i Cunningham as bickering brothers Grayson and Wayne, who are guardedly trying to reconcile after an estrangement that began more than 10 years ago after their father’s death.
Grayson and Wayne, aged 29 and 32, respectively, are swept into a place where time eddies in mysterious ways, and they are taken back in time to reconsider their relationships with their father (Marcus Oshiro) and their experiences with each other.
Oshiro, a talented actor and former legislator, has his own personal connection to the story; his mother and Sakuma’s widow, Leatrice Sakuma, are friends and go to the same church. He says it is an important story to tell.
“People should know the heroism of Stanley Sakuma and what he did. What he stood for, the values and how we are connected in this small community.”
And after recently playing an abusive father in another Kumu Kahua show, Oshiro is happy to be playing a “good dad” in this one.
Kinoshita describes Tonouchi’s play as “a beautiful story of heroism.”
“The notion of what true courage is — courage is the ability to sacrifice yourself, for the love of others … for your community. … Lee has all these beautiful metaphors about the ocean, and how everything works together in this beautiful cohesive universe where everybody’s codependent on each other.”
She added that she has been enjoying the challenge of developing Sydney Ishikawa’s pivotal performance as Da Ocean as both the “actual ocean” and as the “physical embodiment of love.”
“It’s such a beautiful character,” Ishikawa explained. “She’s a little sassy. She’s a little mischievous. That was really fun, and I really enjoy the whole feel-good aspect of it, being the person to really unite people together.”
The theme of people being reunited also drew Cunningham into the story.
“I feel like everybody knows, if not themselves, they know somebody who is estranged from their family in some way and wish they could have that rekindling. … If anyone’s ever lost a loved one, it’s always like you would love to have just a little bit more time with him.”
And as for Tonouchi, he says seeing his first play back onstage at Kumu Kahua 19 years later makes him feel old.
“Officially I old now,” Tonouchi joked in straightforward pidgin. “Back when I was one young aspiring playwright I used to think, ‘Oh, how come they doing Ed Sakamoto again? Like 10, 20 times they did Ed Sakamoto. They keep doing Ed Sakamoto every time!’ Now it’s like they redoing mine one now, so I’m old. Must be get some young guy saying, ‘They doing Lee Tonouchi’s one again? The same one?’ ”
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“Gone Feeshing”
>> Where: Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant St.
>> When: 7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday through Feb. 18; also at 2 p.m. Sunday, through Feb. 19
>> Cost: $25 (discounts available)
>> Info: kumukahua.org or 808-536-4441
