An island caught between U.S., Japan

When Jon Shirota writes about Okinawa, he knows whereof he speaks. Although Shirota was raised on Maui after his father immigrated there, he can trace his Okinawan ancestry to the 14th century.

Okinawa is an island buffeted by history. Colonized by the Japanese in the 1880s, Okinawa came under U.S. control after World War II. Indeed, the American presence there, more than 60 years after the war, rankles the majority of Okinawan residents.

The rape of a 10-year-old schoolgirl in 1995 caused an international uproar. By sad, eerily synergistic coincidence, the alleged rape of another Japanese schoolgirl made headlines only a few days before Wednesday’s opening of “Voices From Okinawa,” Shirota’s world premiere play at East West Players.

A veteran playwright, the octogenarian Shirota captures the essence of Okinawa, whose people’s unique dialects, crafts and religious beliefs have been systematically eroded, not only by Americans but by the Japanese, who have largely subsumed Okinawan customs into the mainstream Japanese culture. In that sense, “Voices” is revelatory, a loving tribute to Okinawa’s endangered traditions. When it comes to the relationships between his characters, however, Shirota often fails to dot the i’s.

The play’s one-quarter Okinawan protagonist, Kama Hutchins (Joseph Kim), an American teaching English in Okinawa, personifies the gaping cultural divide. Eager to reconnect with his roots, Kama meets up with Obaa-San (Amy Hill), an elderly aunt with shamanistic powers -- Shirota’s pure exponent of island rituals. Kama is surprised to learn that he is inheriting Obaa-San’s land, unspoiled sugar cane fields prized by the locals for their beauty. But when Kama decides to lease the land to the U.S. military, he dismays his aunt, not to mention his new Okinawan friends, including Keiko (Sachiko Hayashi), the pretty principal at his school.

That drama plays out simultaneously with Kama’s classroom scenes. A particular class exercise, in which Kama’s students make “speeches” in English, ranges from humorous accounts of their various interactions with Americans to the ravaging confession of a young woman (Mari Ueda) who was recently raped by an American GI. That revelation is predictable but nonetheless harrowing -- Shirota’s heartfelt protest against the exploitation of Okinawa’s women by U.S. servicemen.

There may be a bit of a language barrier for some. The text includes idiomatic phrases that may puzzle those not familiar with the language. But that doesn’t explain certain weaknesses, in particular Kama’s ramblings about his own family lineage. We sense Shirota is airing a bit of his own history here, but Kama’s expository chatter about who immigrated where and why is simply confusing. And Obaa-San seeming good pals with so many other characters is also baffling.

Director Tim Dang takes a broadly expressive approach to the material, so much so that certain performers verge on caricature. Not so Hill, who shines in a role that could have been a mere lampoon.

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‘Voices From Okinawa’

Where: East West Players, David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles

When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays

Ends: March 9

Price: $30 to $35

Contact: (213) 625-7000

Running time: 1 hour, 40 minutes