Playwright Luis Valdez is best known for Zoot Suit. He returns to the Mark Taper Forum with his new play, Valley of the Heart. Here he tells the story of two families, the Yamaguchis and the Montaños.
Both are immigrant families in post-depression California. Unbeknownst to the families, the oldest children in the two families fall in love. But the bombing of Pearl Harbor leads to the internment of Japanese-Americans putting the romantic relationship on hold. It also puts a strain on the two families as they have to decide what’s truly important in a time of political chaos.
Luis Valdez directs his play. The cast features Mariela Arteaga, Moises Castro, Justin Chien, Melanie Arii Mah, Theresa Murray, Randall Nakano, Joy Osmanski, Rose Portillo, Christy Sandoval, Scott Keiji Takeda, Daniel Valdez, and Lakin Valdez.
In our very polarized America of 2018, Valley of the Heart will no doubt be a powerful reminder of our past mistakes in hopes that we don’t make similar mistakes again.
The photo features L-R: Justin Chien, Moises Castro, Scott Keiji Takeda, Daniel Valdez, Rose Portillo, Lakin Valdez and Christy Sandoval in the Center Theatre Group production of Luis Valdez’s “Valley of the Heart.”
Photo by Craig Schwartz
