Review: Portland Opera's "Shizue" - a heartfelt journey of perseverance of Japanese Americans during WWII

Final scene of "Shizue" with Jietong Fu, Chihiro Asano, Edward Tavalin, and Lindsey Nakatani. |Photo credit: Chris Kim 

The plight of Japanese American who were incarcerated during WWII was conveyed with intensity and dignity in the world premiere of “Shizue: An American Story.” What could have been an evening accusation and resentment was instead an educational and uplifting experience based on the true story of Shizue Iwatsuki, who with her husband ran an orchard in Hood River. With music by Kenji Oh and a libretto by Dmae Lo Roberts, Portland Opera’s one-hour production (October 4) at the Brunish Theatre offered a story of perseverance and hope that prevailed over despair.

Shizue was nineteen years old when she married Kamegoro and moved to Hood River, Oregon in 1916. Life was tough, but the Iwatsukis grew apples and strawberries, experiencing modest success before losing everything after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 when the U.S. government enacted laws to incarcerate all Japanese Americans. With just two suitcases each, Shizue and Kamegoro were transported by train to a sequence of three different camps that were situated in the barren, desert landscapes in California and Idaho. They signed loyalty oaths twice but were not released until after the war ended. Despite hostility from Oregonians, they returned to Hood River and started again with another orchard. After Kamegoro became paralyzed from a farming accident, Shizue stepped up to run the business, became a local leader in the community, taught Japanese flower arranging, and wrote poetry. In 1954, her poems won a prestigious award in Japan, besting 32,000 other entries, and Hood River honored her as woman of the year. A huge granite boulder at the Japanese-American Memorial Plaza in Portland and a marble column at the Hood River Museum are etched with her poems.

The role of Shizue was divided between soprano Lindsey Nakatani as Young Shizue and mezzo-soprano Chihiro Asano as the Elder Shizue. Both conveyed the emotional resilience of Shizue with terrific conviction. Tenor Jietong Fu passionately expressed the hopeful idealism of Kamegoro. Baritone Edward Tavalin was all business and to the letter of the law as an American soldier and other people who were against the Japanese.

Inspired by Japanese folk songs and children’s songs, Oh exercised a light, yet very expressive touch in his score, accompanying the singers with piano and prepared cello. The arias, duets, and ensemble pieces were poignant, and the accompaniment (pianist Gyan Singh and cellist Casey Johnson) never overwhelmed the singers. There was some spoken text, which functioned as recitative to move the passage of time along more efficiently. All-in-all, the opera was quite a remarkable achievement for Oh, who has only one other opera, “The Emissary,” to his credit.

Jon Kashiwabara and rhiza A+D created evocative scenery with four large, colorful banners that depicted Mt. Hood, orchards, and the Columbia River. The banners were turned to reveal in muted black and white the internment camps. Another large banner displayed Executive Order 9066, which ordered the imprisonment of Japanese Americans. A huge suitcase opened to become an interior room. Straightforward choreography by Michelle Fujii and Toru Watanabe kept the story at a steady pace. The only confusing part was distinguishing between the Young Shizue and Elder Shizue because Asano didn’t look all that much older than Nakatani and both of their characters wove in and out of the storyline. Fortunately, Roberts’ libretto presented the events in a direct fashion that was easy to follow. The text had poetic moments and the concept of gaman (perseverance in the face of many troubles) and hope for a peaceful future as Americans acquired depth that added to the satisfying ending.

“Shizue” will receive 50 performances at high schools, community centers, and other venues around the state as part of Portland Opera to Go. So, the portability of the production is a key factor, because the singers will have to set up the production at each performance. One of the beauties of POGO is that small towns and remote areas of Oregon will experience real opera. That takes grit and gaman. “Shizue” presents a awful slice of Oregon history that a lot of us would rather ignore. It is also a heartfelt reminder of the injustices endured by immigrants who are often vilified. Its message will help us to understand our neighbors and our community.