FIRE IN THE NEW WORLD

Don’t miss this savvy detective caper that’s smart and fun with a dash of social commentary and plenty of sly intrigue! Sam Shikaze, hard-boiled private eye, fights crime in Vancouver’s Japantown in the years after WWII. This time he’s up against a big time developer intent on bulldozing the community and the New World Hotel. But when the developer’s beautiful Japanese American wife goes missing, it’s up to Sam to find her!

Written and directed by R.A. Shiomi, this world premiere is the third installment of Shiomi’s hit noir-style detective comedies featuring Sam Shikaze. The first play in the trilogy, Yellow Fever, has been produced Off-Broadway, across North America, and in Japan. The New York production received a rave review in the New York Times:

“As a playwright, Mr. Shiomi is his own crafty private investigator, making his points through indirection and with droll humor…. Mr. Shiomi’s Yellow Fever is so captivating that it makes one eager for further adventures of the inimitable Sam Shikaze.”  – Mel Gussow, The New York Times

Fire in the New World is recommended for ages 12 and up. If it were a movie, we would rate it PG-13. This hard-boiled detective caper contains gunshots and frank talk about anti-Asian racism. Imagine if Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade (of The Maltese Falcon) had the lived through the Japanese internment camps of WWII and was fighting crime in the 1960s. That’s the world of Sam Shikaze, private eye!

Please note when purchasing tickets that Thursday evening and Sunday matinee performances will require masks be worn by all patrons.