Sondheim’s ‘Pacific Overtures’ radiates intelligence, intrigue
FLOATING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA: The cast of Kunoichi Productions’ Pacific Overtures, a 1976 musical by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman at Brava Theater. Photo by Jon Bauer
Pacific Overtures is a fascinating musical on many levels, the first being that it is so rarely done that Stephen Sondheim aficionados leap at the chance to see it in any form. Wedged amid a mind-boggling run of Sondheim’s 1970s hits, Overtures premiered in 1976 just after Company, Follies and A Little Night Music and just before Sweeney Todd. The fact that it is so remarkably different from those other shows (not that they’re all that similar themselves) is another reason to see it, if only to study its mastery.
Locally, TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley has produced the show twice, in 1988 and 2001, and having seen the latter revival, I can honestly say I would try to see this show whenever possible because its fascination is endless – as history, as warning, as a remarkable piece of artistry, as musical theater operating at its highest level.
All praise, then, to Kunoichi Productions (working with Brava! for Women in the Arts, Theatre of Yuygen and Playland Productions) for bringing the show to San Francisco at such a globally interesting moment as we watch the United States attempt to assert its dominance in the global economy, especially in the Asian market.
The idea of a musical about Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry’s 1853 attempt to bring Japan out of its centuries-old isolation and into the world of international trade belongs to Harold Prince, theatrical legend and frequent Sondheim director/collaborator. Prince admired a first play by John Weidman (an East Asian history major at Harvard) and decided what the play really wanted to be was a musical. Sondheim initially resisted but soon became enamored of Japanese minimalism and decided the show would be a chance for him to demonstrate his gut feeling that as a creator, less truly is more.
FOUR BLACK DRAGONS: Ryan Marchand is Commodore Perry. Photo by Jon Bauer
The Kunoichi production at Brava, directed by Nick Ishimaru, embraces the less-is-more philosophy with a single unit set (by Yusuke Soi) and an adept 11-person cast to create a fable-like vision of Japan (mostly in the 19th century) and its “barbaric” invasion from the point of view of Japanese people.
The star here is Sondheim’s score, simple, intricate and bursting with lyrical gems. Music director Diana Lee and a superb seven-piece orchestra (featuring Shirley Muramoto on the koto) make the show’s 2 1/2 hours a sonic treat, as do some glorious voices in the cast.
From the opening number, “The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea,” Sondheim establishes the vibe of an insular culture at the precipice of being corrupted: “Kings are burning somewhere, Wheels are turning somewhere, Trains are being run, Wars are being won, Things are being done, Somewhere out there. Not here.”
WELCOME TO KANAGAWA: the Madam of a brothel in Kanagawa (Mayadevi Ross, center) explains the services they offer to her girls (from left: Stephen Kanaski, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto, Edward Im, Sarah Jiang) while the Reciter (Keiko Shimosato Carreiro) looks on. Photo by Jon Bauer
While the plot of Overtures encompasses the fate of a nation, the focal point is the relationship between a minor samurai named Kayama (Nick Nakashima), who is put in charge of resisting the American advances, and a fisherman, Manjiro (Vinh G. Nguyen), who has spent time in America and has returned to his native country with dire warnings.
Nakashima dazzles in his duet with Nguyen, “Poems,” and then again in his Act 2 showstopper, “A Bowler Hat,” in which we see time and Western influence transforming him (and not for the better).
The ensemble numbers have galvanizing energy and showcase Sondheim’s genius at telling a story with flair, intricacy and economy. “Chrysanthemum Tea,” about a mother poisoning her Shogun son, and “Please Hello,” a Gilbert-and-Sullivan-esque moment when the sound of the show starts to change as Western influences (America, Great Britain, Holland, France and Russia) infiltrate Japan, are dazzling.
And then there is the wonder of “Someone in a Tree,” which, when pressed, Sondheim would say was the favorite of his songs. Though it can be interesting when performed outside the show, in context it is a fascinating, almost hypnotic rumination on the nature of history and whose story about what “really” happened may or may not be entirely accurate.
The final punch of the show and of this admirable production is “Next,” a song that thrills as much as it chills:
Never mind the small disaster.
Who’s the stronger, who’s the faster?
Let the pupil show the master –
Next!
Next!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Pacific Overtures continues through June 15 from Kunoichi Productions at Brava Theater, 2781 24th St., San Francisco. Running time: 2 1/2 hours (including one intermission). Tickets are $25-$75. Visit kunoichiproductions.org.
