From April 4-7 at Pomona College’s Seaver Theater, enraptured audiences came out for this semester’s Mainstage production, “Kentucky.” Directed by Margaret Starbuck and written by Leah Nanako Winkler, the play explores how heritage shapes life trajectories.
Kentucky’s narrative centers around Hiro, a New York City transplant, played by Jazz Zhu PO ’24.5, who must return to her hometown in rural Kentucky for her sister’s wedding. Through complicated dialogues with old friends and family, she reckons with what “home” means to her.
According to Zhu, in her portrayal of Hiro, she attempted to communicate the difficulty of returning to a shifting home as well as contending with the relationship between one’s changed self and people from one’s past. The audience responded to her performance, laughing and nodding sympathetically throughout the show.
Zhu said she had to navigate the emotional challenges of separating the embodiment of her character from her own experiences.
“It’s both a blessing and a curse that the play was so close to home to me,” Zhu said. “It was good because I really identified with all the characters and their experiences, [but] it was hard because I didn’t want to use my past traumas to feel this character. I really wanted to find a sustainable way for the actors on stage to tell this story without damaging their mental health.”
While Hiro was away from her rural hometown after leaving at 18 and never looking back, her sister Sophie, played by Alyssa Fan SC ’26, converted to evangelical Christianity and became engaged to marry the local pastor’s son, played by Dave Ruiz PO ’24.
Believing that Sophie was committing herself to a place that was beyond redemption and thus not fulfilling her life’s potential, Hiro returns to Kentucky for the first time in seven years to intercept the wedding. Chaos ensues.
Zhu was particularly surprised by the physical comedy and subtext that arose when the cast staged the play. She also noted that Fan, who plays her sister in the play, is her best friend in real life.
“In the play, we got to fight,” Zhu said. “We had a lot of intense arguments and really dramatic scenes together.”
During Hiro’s conversations with her well-meaning yet emotionally unstable therapist Larry, portrayed by Annsh Kapoor PO ’26, she explains why she attempted to intervene in Sophie’s impending marriage.
“After seven years apart, I got the sense that you were creating some sort of validation, but as your therapist, I have to say, it’s irresponsible to your progress,” Larry said. “It’s irresponsible to your poor mother. And most importantly, it’s irresponsible to Sophie, who thinks you’re going back to be her maid of honor.”
Kapoor’s frenzied acting style effectively illuminated Hiro’s conflict between the persona one presents in one’s childhood home versus one’s chosen home.
Predictably, Hiro stood by her decision to intervene.
“What’s irresponsible is deciding to marry so young to a guy you’ve only known for six months, what’s irresponsible is staying here with an abusive father who terrorizes everyone around him,” Hiro responds. “And what’s irresponsible is not intervening with someone you care for.”
Initially, Sophie is portrayed solely through Hiro’s perspective, depicted as a victim in a pitiable situation. However, as Sophie gains agency in the narrative, it becomes clear that she is happy to remain in Kentucky, mirroring a speech given by Hiro about her love for New York earlier in the play.
“I saw my reflection in the stained glass window of the church … I rebuilt myself and the struggle that I lived through … that is peace and forgiveness,” Sophie said. “I was chasing the wrong life for so long, searching for happiness in awful destructive places and I felt so alone. I thought I would never find friends who would understand me, much less a man who was strong enough to be with me.”
“It’s both a blessing and a curse that the play was so close to home to me. It was good because I really identified with all the characters and their experiences, [but] it was hard because I didn’t want to use my past traumas to feel this character. I really wanted to find a sustainable way for the actors on stage to tell this story without damaging their mental health.”
Sophie’s wedding was officiated by her fiance Da’ran’s evangelical parents, played by Nora Butler PZ ’25 and Kapoor. The wedding party, which was enthusiastic and upbeat — unlike Hiro — comprised of Sophie’s three bridesmaids. Also in attendance was Hiro and Sophie’s grandmother, portrayed by Fiona Larsen-Teskey SC ’26, who provided comic relief.
While Zhu’s Hiro is the play’s protagonist, Winkler also highlights the people and family dynamics that shaped her.
Yunzhi Cheng CM ’24 played Hiro’s mother Masako, a passive, stubborn woman who loves the family cat Sylvie. When Sylvie dies, Masako carries around the cat’s corpse at the wedding to remind herself that she was once loved unconditionally.
Nicholas Russell PO ’26 portrayed Masako’s husband James, characterized by his short temper and alcoholism. James shows little concern for his daughters’ lives and his volatile nature leads him to start a fistfight with Sophie’s fiance. He barely returns in time for the wedding.
Another story thread is Hiro’s fling with former high school classmate Adam Holloway, portrayed by Jack Begley CM ’26. Adam accompanied Hiro to the wedding and they formed a quick bond.
At the end of the play, Adam asks Hiro to stay with him in Kentucky, offering her the opportunity to come home and reconnect with her family and her childhood best friends. However, Hiro chooses to return to New York, leaving Adam a heartfelt note.
“I want you to be happy,” Hiro said in the note. “So forgive me because I can only be happy away from here and I’m never ever coming back … I hope you’re happy, everything beautiful and amazing.”
For Hiro, this was a complex but ultimately easy decision. No amount of love could ever make Kentucky feel like home.
“By the time you read this letter, I’ll be in the sky … I’ll try to remember the good things about this place, like you, [and that] people grow here and are stronger, rooted closer to the ground,” Hiro said. “While people like me, we are inevitably fleeting, seeking solace and reaching, fleshing ourselves out. Always looking in the mirrors, staring at our own eyes and wondering if we’re losing in some ways and winning in others.”
The play’s nuanced portrayal of family resonated with attendee Andrew Li PO ’27.
“It kind of reminds me of my own family issues and sort of hit in the heart in a way … I was also expecting [a more cheesy ending] for families, but [I liked] that it was a farewell,” Li said. “We have the ability to use our homes to extend ourselves.”