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| Image sourced by Ensemble Studio Theatre |
What better way than to close out the theater season than with the play “Kentucky” by Leah Nanako Winkler to get everyone ready for all the upcoming summer weddings? A coproduction between Ensemble Studio Theatre, P73 and The Radio Drama Network, “Kentucky” calls to mind Charles Mee’s spectacles and EST’s dark comedies (“Year of the Rooster”).
Kentucky opens with a singing chorus of young women who later double as bridesmaids before we’re introduced to our hero named Hiro (Satomi Blair), a young Asian-American woman who has escaped a traumatic childhood in Kentucky, and now lives in New York City working in marketing. Like most New Yorkers, Hiro has a therapist Larry (Curran Connor) on call who may be falling for her. Hiro is called home to attend the wedding of her born again Christian younger sister Sophie (Sasha Diamond) to someone she has only met several months before. Against Larry’s counseling, Hiro plans to rescue Sophie and bring her back to New York City where Hiro thinks Sophie can start a new life and break from their oppressive and dysfunctional parents: submissive and kooky Japanese mother, Masako (Ako), and boorish Caucasian father James (Jay Patterson).
It’s clear why Hiro has ditched her family and white trash upbringing which includes her paternal Grandma (Marcia Haufrecht). That and Masako’s cat with a serious attitude, Sylvie (Amir Watchterman) caused me to wonder if the play was going to be a surreal version of the interracial and intergenerational family dramedies that dominated the season.
Things shifted for me when an African-American family that is the polar opposite of Hiro and Sophie’s enters late in the first act: Sophie’s fiance Da’Ron (Ronald Peete) and his parents, Ernest (Mikumari Caiyhe), a church pastor and his first lady, the glam Amy (Lynnette Freeman). Nanako Winkler presents an African American family that is loving and nurturing, which was surprising and subversive. Presumably by marrying into Da’Ron’s family, Sophie will have the normalcy and support she didn’t receive from her biological family and this nucleus is something that sister Hiro is lacking.
The joy of "Kentucky" lies in Nanako Winkler’s characterization of Hiro as a millennial who is stubborn, selfish, but is engaging and she makes the other people on the canvas identifiable. The playwright also gives Hiro a subplot romance (and what hero doesn’t deserve one?) with Kentuckian Adam, played by Alex Grubbs.
All around fine work by the cast and director Morgan Gould who served the changes in Nanako Winkler’s styles, genres and tones with clarity and highlighted the play’s many themes without hitting audiences over the head. Nick Francone’s scenic design evoked rural life and multiple locations without making EST’s black box seem cramped. Solid work by the rest of the design team.
Kentucky opens with a singing chorus of young women who later double as bridesmaids before we’re introduced to our hero named Hiro (Satomi Blair), a young Asian-American woman who has escaped a traumatic childhood in Kentucky, and now lives in New York City working in marketing. Like most New Yorkers, Hiro has a therapist Larry (Curran Connor) on call who may be falling for her. Hiro is called home to attend the wedding of her born again Christian younger sister Sophie (Sasha Diamond) to someone she has only met several months before. Against Larry’s counseling, Hiro plans to rescue Sophie and bring her back to New York City where Hiro thinks Sophie can start a new life and break from their oppressive and dysfunctional parents: submissive and kooky Japanese mother, Masako (Ako), and boorish Caucasian father James (Jay Patterson).
It’s clear why Hiro has ditched her family and white trash upbringing which includes her paternal Grandma (Marcia Haufrecht). That and Masako’s cat with a serious attitude, Sylvie (Amir Watchterman) caused me to wonder if the play was going to be a surreal version of the interracial and intergenerational family dramedies that dominated the season.
Things shifted for me when an African-American family that is the polar opposite of Hiro and Sophie’s enters late in the first act: Sophie’s fiance Da’Ron (Ronald Peete) and his parents, Ernest (Mikumari Caiyhe), a church pastor and his first lady, the glam Amy (Lynnette Freeman). Nanako Winkler presents an African American family that is loving and nurturing, which was surprising and subversive. Presumably by marrying into Da’Ron’s family, Sophie will have the normalcy and support she didn’t receive from her biological family and this nucleus is something that sister Hiro is lacking.
The joy of "Kentucky" lies in Nanako Winkler’s characterization of Hiro as a millennial who is stubborn, selfish, but is engaging and she makes the other people on the canvas identifiable. The playwright also gives Hiro a subplot romance (and what hero doesn’t deserve one?) with Kentuckian Adam, played by Alex Grubbs.
All around fine work by the cast and director Morgan Gould who served the changes in Nanako Winkler’s styles, genres and tones with clarity and highlighted the play’s many themes without hitting audiences over the head. Nick Francone’s scenic design evoked rural life and multiple locations without making EST’s black box seem cramped. Solid work by the rest of the design team.
Kentucky by Leah Nanako Winkler. Directed by Morgan Gould. Music Direction & Vocal Arrangements: Sariva Goetz. Costumes: Suzanne Chesney. Lighting: Ryan Seelig. Sound: Shane Retting. Props: Justin Cox. Choreographer: Katie Spelman. Stage Manager: Eileen Lalley. Ran from April 20 - May 22, 2016 at Ensemble Studio Theater, 549 W. 52nd St. New York City.
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