“Pacific Overtures” at the Classic Stage Company through June 18, 2017

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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.

"Hello Dolly" at the Shubert Theatre

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Bette Midler

With Bette Midler playing Dolly Gallagher Levi on Broadway, it is safe to say there isn’t a whiff of the Irish left in the role that is the centerpiece in the beloved musical “Hello Dolly.” Not that there ever was much of a Gallic glint invested in the role, although I respectfully refer back to Tovah Feldshuh who added a slight brogue to her portrayal at the Paper Mill Playhouse a decade ago. Midler’s presence apparently doesn’t command an accent or even a discernible characterization given the circumstances and lavish trappings afforded it under the direction of Jerry Zaks. Sadly, it is simply showcase for the also beloved performer to strut, parade and pander (not too harsh a word) to the multitudes who are there in force at every performance.

There is no question that fans will come to worship at the feet of the divine M no matter what she was doing or in this case not doing. This, however, does not excuse certain aspects of the production for not delivering. Many of the basic requirements that insure that a star with a noticeably unsteady (to be kind) voice for singing and with a questionable regard for the character she is playing are missing.

For many reasons I have delayed voicing my opinion that have nothing to do with the almost irrational raves and huzzahs that are being hurled at the 71 year-old performer whom I have loved since her early days singing with Barry Manilow and amongst those “Clams on a Half Shell” and beyond. Having seen numerous Dollys on the stage, including Ethel Merman (who was divine herself at the time singing two songs written especially for her,) I am keenly aware of what Midler is supposed to be doing up there on the stage of the Shubert Theatre.

Except for the stunning gowns she wears designed by Santo Loquasto, there was no real evidence that the world’s most famous matchmaker (not Yenta) on the make had found a way to surface in light of Midler’s purposely but also egregiously self-aggrandizing posturing. Somehow in the back of my mind, I firmly believe that she could have come through with a real and unforgettable character had she had the right director. Zaks wasn’t and she didn’t.

 

The supporting cast generally keeps the faith with the familiar and melodic Jerry Herman score. There is, however, no excuse for the lackluster/what-am-I doing-here performance by the usually terrific David Hyde Pierce who is shockingly miscast as Horace Vandergelder, the miserly bellowing boob who avoids Dolly until he can’t. That he and Midler have no discernible chemistry between them makes their romance a moot point.

We can almost forgive such fine performers as Gavin Creel, Kate Baldwin and the others who, as professionals must, comply with this misguided vision of Dolly as a self-conscious cartoon in a production that encourages unapologetic mugging. Despite Loguasto’s pretty settings, this is not a revival that respects its source. Choreographer Warren Carlyle has, however, effectively filled many of the most cringe-worthy gaps with obligatory bursts of robust dancing.

Many of us have fond memories of either Thornton Wilder’s “The Matchmaker” or the original musical show that Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart created with the collaboration of Gower Champion and starred (almost forever) Carol Channing. Others may have seen any number of regional, college and community theater productions presented around the world. I realize I probably stand notably alone in saying that this lamentable revival does no service to the legacy of Bette Midler as one of the great entertainers of our time. Will she and it sweep all the awards and also win the Tony? You bet!