Edward Sakamoto

Softcover, 212 pp.

Aloha Las Vegas centers on a retired banker, land rich but cash poor, who wrestles with the decision to relocate to Las Vegas in 1994. Sakamoto is quick to challenge easy affirmations and identifications. Beneath their feel good humor and celebration of local language and culture, the plays have depth and an unpredictability. As Dennis Carroll observes in his Introduction, all of them center on the theme of Hawaii versus the mainland and the challenges of relocation-the ambiguities of the definition of home and whether it can ever be recovered or regained-and the special qualities of local life that can or cannot be transplanted. This theme is relevant to all Americans familiar with the immigrant experience, not only those living in Hawaiʻi. A glossary of pidgin words and terms is included.