NOHO ARTS THEATRE REVIEW
MADE IN AMERICA
Made In America
By Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros – 07/21/2022
A NoHo Arts theatre review of “Made In America,” written and performed by Teruko Nakajima, directed by John Flynn running through July 31.
The winner of the Fringe Award for Best Solo Show, the Splash Award, Pick of The Fringe, the Hollywood Encore Producers Award and the Hollywood Fringe Scholarship Award 2022,
Teruko Nakajima’s “Made In America” is the mesmerizing story of a fascinating life. From early childhood to present day, Teruko walks us through who she was and who she has become.
With riveting narrative and her own unique and heartfelt voice, she fills the stage with her positive energy even as she describes the most difficult moments in her life.
Teruko Nakajima’s story of how and why she came to America is a particularly poignant portrait. A survivor of multiple instances of sexual abuse and rape, Teruko’s beautiful and sweet warrior spirit and her ability to always see the best in those who most of us would dismiss outright seems to have given her the strength to not only survive, but to thrive. America has given her the home she needed and the understanding she sought in her native country of Japan, where it is always understood that life is lived to serve others, and to consider yourself as important as anyone else is more than frowned upon.
As Teruko shares her journey, we experience the highs and lows her life has taken. The triumph of her moving to America, the tragedies of her childhood, her tumultuous relationships with her parents, and her determination to be herself no matter what and how she took the strangest of jobs that taught her more and more about herself and how strong she already was.
“Made In America” is also a very, very funny play. Teruko’s personality is vibrant and shining, gloriously, warmly buoyant and she truly commands the stage with her enormous smile and her fragile beauty. She is a one off. A unique. A rare creature whose gentle fierceness and genuinely brilliant storytelling voice is a gift to us all.
This is the very end of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the shows that are still running are those that made the most impact and where offered an extension. It’s easy to see why “Made In America” is still running.
Teruko Nakajima and her genius storytelling abilities about her otherworldly life should be the very next thing you see. Believe me, you will never see anything quite like this show. There is darkness and shining light and everything in between.
But the most impressive thing about Teruko Nakajima and her “Made in America,” and what has stayed with me since seeing it is the raw honesty about her life, her pain and her deep love for the world she has created and is creating still. It all rings true, everything she tells us and everything she shows us, we believe her utterly and are with her, right beside her on that stage through every single words she says, and that is why this play is so brilliant. Because of Teruko.
See “Made in America” and fall in love with the wonder that is Teruko Nakajima. It runs until the 31st of July, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night at 8pm at the Dorie Theatre.
When:
Through July 31 at 8pm, each Friday, Saturday & Sunday. T
Where:
The Dorie Theatre, The Complex,
6476 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038
Tickets:
Get your tickets now!!! https://nohoartsdistrict.com/noho-theatres/made-in-america/
Original Article:
https://nohoartsdistrict.com/made-in-america-review/
