“Elegantly directed by Rothe in a top-notch production...A gripping story about a shameful chapter of our history, when the US government looked at its own people and saw the enemy...De la Fuente’s endearing solo performance, which vividly — and, more often than you’d think, comically — renders Gordon and the constellation of people around him. Ms. Sakata’s deeply researched script could come off as preachy, but in De la Fuente’s hands, Gordon is a sweetly steely idealist.”
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"Joel de la Fuente magnificently portrays Gordon Hirabayashi...His uniformly sharp characterizations are accomplished with ease, precision and depth...Sakata skillfully imparts all of this information and more with dramatic force and occasional humor...Due to its superior writing, arresting visual qualities and Joel de la Fuente’s enthralling presence, 'Hold These Truths' is a searing and highly informative take on its subject."
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"A wonderful documentary of an American hero. The work is professionally performed and rendered, which allows for this great American story to be fully told...De la Fuente’s performance is remarkably efficient, buoyant, and specific with some of the best elocution I’ve encountered recently to buttress wonderful storytelling...De la Fuente told the story so clearly...There was never a wasted movement, no act didn’t contribute to the tale...It totally worked."
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"Joel de la Fuente was astonishing in his ability to be all of these individuals. With the slightest shift in his tone of voice, facial expression, and posture he glided effortlessly among this diverse roster...Lisa Rothe oversaw the seamless transition among characters, places, and times, never allowing the story to rest...A sharply written play, an important history lesson and a reflection on the world today. This production certainly fully realized the breadth and depth of the story."
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"It takes a deft dramatic hand to craft moving theatre out of social history and courtroom drama, and a nuanced actor to portray the passage of time and multiple characters. The Epic Theatre production of Jeanne Sakata‘s 'Hold These Truths' reveals just such deftness of hand and actor nuance...The experience of this piece of theatre is that life story and more — culled to its human and emotional essence, we hold Hirabayashi’s story as we must all 'hold these truths.'"
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"Sakata’s play is deeply particular—an intimate telling of a heroic story lived by a captivating person...Joel de la Fuente, under the direction of the remarkable Lisa Rothe, fully engages your attention for a fast-moving 85 minutes...It provides a coda to the company's year-long consideration of the many forms of power madness—and the many forms of forgiveness possible, once even the shouting is over."
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"Onstage, de la Fuente proves chameleon-like, effortlessly and believably going from one character to the next...In fact, once the curtain closes on this lyrically mesmerizing show, it’s hard to believe that only one actor has been onstage the entire time...Making everything possible is Sakata’s lovely, lilting script. She manages to weave a tapestry of experience that is at times funny, at times uplifting, and sometimes, just tremendously sad and shocking."
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"To call de la Fuente’s performance a tour de force would be misleading—although it is surely that. Under the skilled direction of Lisa Rothe, de la Fuente embodies multiple characters as well as Hirabayashi across several decades of his life...The power in de la Fuente’s performance comes from his utter avoidance of any virtuosic, 'show-offy' moments...This play can offer some salve for the weary soul as it portrays the sometimes long, but hopefully inevitable, bend toward justice."
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