It's director Paul T. Mitri's approach to the story rather than the story itself that makes Kennedy Theatre's production of “;The Judith of Shimoda”; worth sitting through, but that's reason enough to catch it this weekend.

D'neka Patten stars as Okichi, a 19th-century geisha who was persuaded by the Japanese government to work as a servant in the American consulate in Shimoda. Historians have found no evidence that she had a sexual relationship with any of the “;devil barbarians,”; but for the rest of her life, she was stigmatized as “;the Yankee whore.”;

Playwright Bertolt Brecht tells the story as a play within a play about a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Tony Young) entertaining two foreign guests with a private preview of a production being developed by a Japanese playwright (Futoshi Terashita). The two men offer differing interpretations of Okichi's experiences. The guests comment on it as well.

The story begins in the mid-1850s with the Americans forcing Japan to open its ports to trade. Next comes a demand that the Japanese allow them to hire servants for the American consulate in Shimoda. The Japanese stall so long that consul general Townsend Harris (James Schirmer) threatens to bombard the city if there is any further delay.

AS SEEN on the UH stage, Harris' threat is clearly about the need to have local servants for the consulate rather than about obtaining the sexual services of Japanese women.

Okichi begs to be spared the onerous task of living in the household of the “;devil barbarians”; but is told over and over again that it is her duty to the Japanese nation to save the city, and that she will be a hero of the nation no matter what the barbarians might force her to do while in their service.

However, she scandalizes the Japanese community by obtaining cow's milk for Harris when his ulcer flares up, and is stigmatized for life. Okichi eventually embraces self-destruction, alcoholism and poverty even when others express sympathy and offer financial support.

Her fate is in stark contrast to that of Ofuku (Noriko Katayama), who is also forced to serve the Americans. Mitri's staging suggests that Ofuku has a sexual relationship with Harris' assistant, yet it seems she is not stigmatized, feels no guilt or shame, and eventually marries a well-to-do man who doesn't hold her past against her.

Katayama makes Ofuku one of the most watchable characters in the story. Schirmer and Dan D. Randerson acquit themselves well in the cartoonish roles of the “;barbarians.”;

Mitri enhances his cast's work with colorful costumes, a marvelous set and aerial sequences that create the impression that Okichi is trying to escape her tormentors by climbing into the light grid.

The program opens with “;Mahagonny Songspiel,”; a short operatic piece by Brecht and composer Kurt Weill. Presented in partnership with Hawaii Opera Theatre and directed by HOT Artistic Director Henry Akina, it is a highly stylized look at dashed hopes and decadence in a fictional city. A talented sextet makes it interesting as a musical performance but still very much the prelim for “;Shimoda.”;