A Poetic and Chaotic Work by Keiko Green
Kisa (Michele Selene Ang), a Japanese woman from Ishinomaki, a small fisherman town, is an aspiring painter studying art in Paris. There is a horrible earthquake followed by a tsunami where Kisa’s mom is swept away. She finds out when a friend calls and tells her to turn on the news. Years later, Kisa’s dad, Isamu (Jojo Gonzalez), is ill, and she has to go back home to take care of her father’s taxi route to help pay the bills. After not being there for so long and with all the changes following the natural disaster, Kisa’s acclimating is not the smoothest. During a shift, she runs into her childhood friend Toru (Major Curda) and his snooty sister Sachiko (Jully Lee), who is now a real estate mogul. As things are not adding up, Kisa is trying to be as hands-on as possible. In an unexpected bender, Alex (David Rosenberg), the family neighbor, comes to help and shares a haunting experience.
The play references the tsunami that followed the 9.0 Tōhoku earthquake in 2011, where thousands died. Adam Rigg’s minimalist set design has an aqua floor that I assume alludes to the fishing town and the flood, incorporating scale homes/buildings with signage and lights in Japanese that come up and down during the scenes, complemented by Mextly Couzin’s bright and lively lighting. The production is housed in the round, and these elements work, although I believe they would have benefited from even more color and components. Happy to see a local designer in a Globe play with Avi Amon’s original music and sound design that also popped and gave the frame color.
Directed by Sivan Battat, Empty Ride is like ballroom choreography, the width of which is Kisa driving through a stand with a wheel and a dashboard that is precisely timed. There is even a scene where Michele Selene Ang and Major Curda go around the stage -during a drive- crossing their feet in unison like a dance. This is also synchronized with the actors coming in and out of the stage within the ramps and the stairways in the theatre. Aside from the attitude-heavy Sachiko, Jully Lee plays different roles with sass and flare, making it an absolute treat to watch. Jojo Gonzalez fully embodies the Boomer parent with layers of sweetness and grief that are relatable and real.
Izumi Inaba’s costume design is fun and happening for Lee’s roles, especially for Sachiko going from animal print to hot pink. With Kisa and her dad, it was more about the driver’s uniform and Alex flaunted cargo pants and short and long-sleeved t-shirts. The true mastery was in Curda’s costumes. Every ensemble looked curated and cared for, with high tops and rings included, along with hairstyles ranging from bun to ponytail to hair down. Rounding out the character and making it the most complete and whole one out of the play while steering (like the driving) the stage chemistry with Michele Selene Ang, who delivered charged scenes. David Rosenberg’s brief participations are funny and promising, but with the subplots happening, that gets lost.
The situation with the play is that it has too much going on, with one story following another that does not communicate with each other and, therefore, collides instead of flowing. There is a need for dramaturgy to tighten the loose ends because the work is as touching and poetic as it is chaotic, having an unfinished and rushed feel. Combining the beautiful and rich Japanese culture with a historic natural disaster deserves its time to allow space for the answers.
Currently playing until March 2. For information on ticket prices and performance times, please click HERE.
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