Hold These Truths Reviews
Los Angeles Times- Somewhat Recommended
"...The play, which is the product of interviews the playwright conducted with Hirabayashi as part of her research, may be earnestly laid out. This isn't a probing character study. Rhetorical flourishes at the beginning and end seem stilted, and the personality tidbits that are introduced feel a bit forced. Director Jessica Kubzansky probably should have cut the cutesy byplay between Yu and the audience."
Broadway World- Highly Recommended
"...The expert artistry of words, direction, acting and tech marvelously converge into the current Pasadena Playhouse production of HOLD THESE TRUTHS. Ryun Yu, alone on stage, stunningly and authentically pulls off Jeanne Sakata's detailed depiction of American-born Japanese Gordon Hirabayashi's real-life incidents of standing up against the Executive Order 9066 of being sent to an internment camp in wartime 1942."
Edge- Recommended
"...This is a cautionary tale, well-produced here, which illustrates lessons it behooves all of us to heed. Democracy is fragile and the chipping away of it by forces not always supportive of it make for riveting drama, and it would be exciting to see Hirabayashi's tale as a major film, since he contributed so much to those of us who do not care to see our political rights taken away so callously."
LA Splash- Highly Recommended
"...HOLD THESE TRUTHS manages to take some hideous historic facts and events and bring them down to the manageable perspective of just one man. This is a very human view of history. As such, it is a fascinating peak into how these events impacted on the lives of the people they targeted. This is a play which has captivated audiences from coast-to-coast. It is heartwarming, entertaining, and powerful. But most important – it is human; and it never loses sight of that. After every performance, the Pasadena Playhouse sponsors post-show activities to bring people together and to facilitate open and productive discussion. This add-on is definitely the cherry on top!"
Stage Scene LA- Highly Recommended
"...The time could not be riper for Jeanne Sakata's Hold These Truths to make its powerful, compelling, inspiring Pasadena Playhouse debut, the extraordinary tale of one American's fight for his inalienable rights at a time when his own government wished to deny them."