2018 / Benefit stage “Nihonmachi” for goodwill tour to Japan, at Aratani Theatre, June 23

Nihonmachi: The Place to Be

Nihonmachi: The Place to Be, the Grateful Crane Ensemble’s musical journey about Japantown as told through the eyes of three generations of a local manju (sweets)-making family, will be returning to Los Angeles on Saturday, June 23 at 2 p.m. at the Aratani Theatre in the heart of Little Tokyo.

Proceeds from this one-show only performance will benefit Grateful Crane’s 2018 Goodwill Tour to Tohoku, Japan, and the Little Tokyo Public Safety Association or Koban.

Presented by the Grateful Crane Ensemble and the Little Tokyo Public Safety Association, Nihonmachi: The Place to Be tells the fictional story of Alan Iwata, a burned-out, Sansei manju (sweets) maker who is shutting down his family business after 99 years.  But just before he closes his doors for good, the spirit of his Issei grandfather returns and takes Alan on a journey back some 77 years to Nihonmachi the way it used to be.

Written by Soji Kashiwagi, directed by Darrell Kunitomi, with musical direction by Scott Nagatani, the two act musical follows a Japanese American family through the Great Depression, the war years in camp, resettlement after camp, redevelopment in the 50’s and 60’s, the Asian American Movement of the 70’s and the Redress Movement in the 80s.”

The Aratani Theatre is located at 244 S. San Pedro Street in downtown Los Angeles.  Tickets range from $60 (premium orchestra), $40 orchestra, $30 seniors/students and groups of ten or more and $30 balcony.

For questions and reservations, call the Grateful Crane ticket line at (310) 995-5841 or the Aratani Theatre Box Office at (213) 680-3700.