My first experience with a “stage play” (as my parents called it ) was around 1960. My father took me to see a live musical performance of “Flower Drum Song.” I was just a kid. It was a Saturday and my mom worked on Saturdays (she drove our only car) so my dad took me because he said his childhood friend was one of the stars. He hadn’t seen him since they grew up together in Oakland. This was a big deal. We took public transportation (the street car) and we went with my dad’s good friend Tad Tanabe and his daughter Jill who was my age. My dad dressed up in a suit and tie. I Could see it was important for my dad. The performance was amazing to me. Seeing actors singing and dancing on stage with amazing sets and costumes. When my dad’s friend performed my dad nudged me proudly and said “that’s my buddy Goro.” After the play was over we somehow got to the stage door and my dad asked if he could speak to his friend. When his friend saw my dad it was heartwarming. I could see that the years had not diminished the friendship they had known from the early days growing up together, knowing each others families. I think that was the last time my dad saw his friend in person but subsequently he watched his friend on the tv show Barney Miller. His friends professional name Jack Soo (aka Goro Suzuki) was changed during the war years and after when Japanese actors would not be given acting parts because of anti Japanese sentiments. I am reminiscing because today Mike and I will take public transportation to Little Tokyo to see the new Henry David Hwang production of Flower Drum song at the Aratani theater. I’ll be interested to see this updated version and will be giving a nod to my dad and thanking him for my first theater experience so long ago.
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