Kelvin Moon Loh, Austin Ku, George Takei, Marc Oka, and Thom Sesma. (Photo by Joan Marcus)
This Stephen Sondheim - John Weidman musical remains as it has
always been since it first opened on Broadway in 1976 and in its few incarnations,
a shining example of the concept musical. In episodic music hall fashion, it
tells the East-meets-West story with acknowledgments to both the Oriental and
Occidental theatrical traditions. But, most of all it boasts a remarkable Sondheim
score that evokes age old Eastern simplicity with new age Western resonances.
The handsome but purposefully spare production at the Classic
Stage Company, under the direction of John Doyle (who also designed the show)
has such a delicate yet stirring ambiance that I can’t imagine anyone
interested in either Japan or the American musical theater not able to enjoy it
riches no matter how reduced as it is now in visual spectacle. With only a long
and narrow runway that curls upward at one end of the theater, the show is basically
free of scenic effects. It does have some arresting and amusingly considered staging
with the performers, except for their use of long silk shawls and on occasion
some fluttering fans, are attired in contemporary street clothes. This works, even
if totally eschewing exotica.
The story of the opening up of a feudal Japanese society in
1853 to the trade-seeking American Commodore Perry, is told within short
intricately structured scenes that propel the action with the help of a
narrator (a wryly informative George Takei). At its center are a fisherman (Orville
Mendoza) and a samurai (Steven Eng) who are unwittingly caught up in the intrigue
between the East and the West. I had forgotten how cleverly anecdotal and happily
cohesive is Joseph Weidman’s book, It shares its wit and wisdom beautifully
with Sondheim’s skillful score. Not exactly hit-tune-filled, the score, nevertheless,
continues to fascinate us with its story-telling style and musical ingenuity. “The
Advantages of Floating In the Middle of the Sea,” “Four Black Dragons,” and “A
Bowler Hat” convey a cultural heritage more precisely than a hundred years of
scholarly historical documenting.
The ten members of the ensemble are all top-notch with many
assigned multiple roles. A standout is Ann Harada who plays both an industrious
Madam and a French Admiral. Only ninety minutes in length, “Pacific Overtures” will
I hope make you feel, as I did, that you can’t ask for more pleasure than to
find yourself floating in the middle of the sea with Sondheim, Doyle and Company.
Did I miss the songs that were cut? Did I want more trappings? Did is miss bright
colors? Did I really expect more Geisha glitz? Perhaps yes but perhaps also no.
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