Hollywood got a lot of mileage out of World War II, spinning stories for decades after the last shot was fired. But those movies didn’t tell you everything. For one thing, few addressed the reality that the U.S. government rounded up American citizens of Japanese descent, took away their homes and property and consolidated them in camps.
Perhaps silence on the subject shouldn’t be surprising, for aversion to shame can be powerful. But playwright R.A. Shiomi has created a tremendously compelling drama that digs deeper into the lives of some of those Japanese-Americans and finds that there were among them war heroes with fascinating stories to tell.
Erik Ohno Dagoberg, from left, Clay Man Soo, Tony Larkin, Stephanie Anne Bertumen and Kendall Kent in the premiere of R.A. Shiomi’s “Secret Warriors” at History Theatre in St. Paul. The story of a group of Japanese-American soldiers who aided the U.S. Armed Forces in the Pacific during World War II, the show runs through April 19, 2025. (Rick Spaulding / History Theatre)
“Secret Warriors” premiered this weekend at downtown St. Paul’s History Theatre in one of the most powerful productions in the company’s 47-year history. Serving as a timely exploration of what defines American-ness, it’s a captivating play that’s not only enlightening in the tales it unveils, but is richly entertaining as well, thanks to the efforts of director Lily Tung Crystal, an excellent nine-person cast and an imaginative design team.
You may not know that several key figures in World War II’s final battles in the Pacific and the island-by-island negotiations of Japan’s surrender were heroic young Japanese-American men who studied the language of their ancestors at a military base in Savage, Minn. The program later moved to Fort Snelling, and had graduated over 6,000 student soldiers by 1946.
Erik Ohno Dagoberg, from left, Tony Larkin and Paul LaNave in the premiere of R.A. Shiomi’s “Secret Warriors” at History Theatre in St. Paul. The story of a group of Japanese-American soldiers who aided the U.S. Armed Forces in the Pacific during World War II, the show runs through April 19, 2025. (Rick Spaulding / History Theatre)
For “Secret Warriors,” Shiomi has created composites of several soldiers from the program, its focus swiftly turning to two: a shy California farm boy and a cocky street tough from Seattle. They become friends despite their differences and soon find love at Minneapolis U.S.O. dances, meeting the young women who help unspool the story as correspondents.
While the first act is an enjoyable and educational slice of life about these clearly conflicted soldiers — dedicated to the U.S. war effort while their families sit in internment camps — the play’s second half is a magnificent piece of theatrical storytelling. One of the two has become an instrument of peace as he negotiates hard-won surrenders, the other a clever daredevil on the frontlines. Erik Paulson’s set revolves as we go between them, the tensions of waging war and creating peace equally intense.
The production is propelled by two brilliant breakout performances from the central soldiers, each of them undergoing a fascinating transformation. Clay Man Soo brings subtle shadings to Koji as he blossoms into a brilliant diplomat, empathy his superpower, while Erik Ohno Dagoberg takes the American archetype of the snarky soldier in unexpected directions as Tamio.
While the whole cast is strong, Paul LaNave is a standout as the commanding officer who becomes a friend and ally, while Rich Remedios commands the stage in two incarnations as the soldiers’ hot-tempered instructor and the Japanese captain who engages in a battle of wits with Koji.
Kudos are also due the lighting of Wu Chen Khoo, Meghan Kent’s costumes and Kathy Maxwell’s video designs of wartime footage, which are projected onto a wall with a big circular hole in its center. Perhaps that design was intended to underline the idea that there might be a big hole in your understanding of how that war was won.
‘Secret Warriors’
Related Articles
Theater review: Guthrie’s ‘Mousetrap’ is enjoyably faithful to Agatha Christie
Theater review: Tour finds the truth in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ at St. Paul’s Ordway
Theater review: ‘Life of Pi’ is captivating theatrical magic
Theater review: Penumbra’s ‘Paradise Blue’ explores a bond between people and place
Review: ‘Hadestown’ sings of love of mythical proportions
When: Through April 19
Where: History Theatre, 30 E. 10th St., St. Paul
Tickets: $64-$15, available at 651-292-4323 or historytheatre.com
Capsule: Enlightening and entertaining, it’s a landmark in History Theatre’s history.
Rob Hubbard can be reached at wordhub@yahoo.com.
Leave a Reply