COURTESY BRAD GODA / KUMU KAHUA THEATRE Tess Yong plays the restless spirit of Himiko in Kumu Kahua Theatre's production of "Tea."

War brides’ discourse
makes rich drama

"Tea" was powerful, thought-provoking theater when Kumu Kahua first presented it 15 years ago. It is even more powerful as Kumu Kahua's season opener this time. Director Kati Kuroda has created a production that, if it were the titular beverage, would be descried as "rich, full-bodied and aromatic." The comic moments are brighter this time; the tragic elements more heart-breaking.

"Tea" Continues at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Sept. 25 at Kumu Kahua Theatre, 46 Merchant St. Tickets are $5 to $16. Call 536-4441.

Tess Yong's portrayal of Himiko Hamilton, the Japanese war bride whose suicide is the catalyst of the story, is the foundation of a superb show.

"Tea" opens with Himiko's death in 1968. Four other women who married American soldiers during the postwar occupation of Japan meet in Himiko's home several days later. Like Himiko, they have been living in the middle of Kansas for many years, and although their express purpose for getting together is to clean the house, their thoughts soon turn to the bond they share -- with each other and with the dead woman.

Once the cleaning is complete, they drink tea and reflect on their experiences.

The women have little in common other than their Japanese heritage and their decision to marry soldiers. They came from different backgrounds, and the circumstances of their marriages were different. Their personalities, and the ways they've adjusted, are different as well.

Atsuko Yamamoto (Denise-Aiko Chinen) is an insensitive snob from Nagoya who married a Japanese American from California. She's the only person other than his mother who calls him Kazuhiro.

Teruko Machelli (Karen Kuioka Hironaga), the ditsy peacemaker of the four, was a barber in Fukuoka when she caught the eye of a Italian American. He came back for haircuts until he had almost no hair left to cut. Teruko, very much the devoted housewife, still refers to him as "Honeypie."

Setsuko Banks (Blossom Lam) wondered after first meeting an African-American MP if the color of his skin would wash off in the rain. It didn't. They had a good marriage.

Chizuye Juarez (Christine Yano), the most thoroughly Americanized, is the widow of a Mexican American. When the others talk about preparing tea, she asks if there's any coffee. She calls Setsuko "Sets" and enjoys irking stuffy Atsuko by calling her "Ats."

Himiko was a dance-hall girl who married the father of her unborn child. Billy Hamilton turned out to be such a nasty man that no questions were asked when she killed him and said it was self-defense.

None of the women can see Himiko's ghost, which is still tied to the room where she killed herself. Occasionally, they vaguely feel her presence.

Himiko's reactions to what the others are doing and saying suggest that their success in forging tentative friendships might help her find peace as well.

Yong gives a tremendous performance as Himiko. She is "on" even when Himiko is mutely observing the action from a distance. Yong dominates much of the story with the delicate expressiveness of her work.

Hironaga, a Kumu Kahua veteran, again displays her knack for comedy as the spark plug in most of the lighter moments. She is also convincing in a pivotal scene in which Teruko finally refuses to allow Atsuko to continue bullying her.

Yano and Chinen are well matched as the extremes of the group -- "Cheezu" the most Americanized, Atsuko the most connected to Japan. Lam floats comfortably in the middle and makes Setsuko the soft-spoken voice of compromise.

The ensemble performances make "Tea" a gripping must-see for anyone who appreciates top-rung modern theater. In addition to consistently strong characterizations of the war brides, the actresses also portray the women's husbands and Americanized children. Every character rings true, and playwright Velina Hasu Houston captures the triumphs and tragedies of a generation of war brides in vivid detail.

The impact of "Tea" is heightened by being presented on a conventional set in an established theater -- rather than in the round in a cafeteria or as a road-show production, as it was in 1990 and 1991. Daniel L. Goldmann's set establishes the turmoil of Himiko's last days and the tangled cross-cultural environment she found herself trapped in. Stu Hirayama (sound) makes effective use of music to establish the locale when the women are reminiscing, and BullDog (lighting) uses the light reflected off a table top as the key visual element in suggesting that Himiko's soul finally finds peace.

With suicides, rapes, murders, cultural alienation and racial prejudice (Japanese as well as American) as key parts of the story, "Tea" is often grim, but few plays have had as much to offer in terms of memorable, educational and thoroughly entertaining theater.