by Linda Chin
‘Pacific Overtures’ – Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; Book by John Weidman; Directed by Spiro Veloudos; Music Direction by Jonathan Goldberg; Scenic Design by Janie E. Howland; Costume Design by Gail Astrid Buckley; Sound Design by Andrew Duncan Will; Lighting Design by Karen Perlow; Choreography by Micheline Wu. Presented by Lyric Stage at 140 Clarendon St., Boston through June 16
Boston’s Lyric Stage caps its 10-production-in-20-seasons journey through the Stephen Sondheim songbook with Pacific Overtures, the story of the westernization of Japan – starting with Commodore Matthew Perry’s arrival at the port of Uraga in 1853. Arguably the most sophisticated of the composer’s scores, bold in its portrayal of American intrusion from the perspective of the Japanese, and a challenge to cast, Pacific Overtures is also the least performed. The 1976 Broadway production involved a large cast of Asian actors (mostly male), elaborate staging, choreography, sets and costumes, and incurred a large financial loss when it closed after 6 months. Other Greater Boston companies (North Shore Music Theatre, 2003; BU’s School of Theatre, 2012) have staged revivals with mixed reviews and audience reception, including some criticisms about casting non-Asian actors to portray Asians and other instances of stereotyping and cultural insensitivity. Pacific Overtures is not everyone’s cup of chrysanthemum tea.
Lyric’s Producing Artistic Director Spiro Veloudos (also the director of the Sondheim works) treads carefully in terms of adding his artistic mark and contemporizing the story without compromising authenticity. Veloudos has engaged an all-Asian cast of 11 men and women and includes females in roles usually played by males. New York City-based actors Carl Hsu and Sam Hamashima make their Lyric debuts as Kayama and Manjiro, and Brookline-based Lyric and Broadway veteran Lisa Yuen plays the Reciter, a role that has been played by legendary actors BD Wong and George Takei. Toning down the show’s pageantry for the Lyric’s small thrust stage and intimate house is an improvement on the original, in terms of allowing us to experience the actors’ nuanced performances, participate more fully in the characters’ stories, and see the intricate detail of the painted screen panels. The five panels rotate to form a series of backdrops in the stunning set designed by Janie E. Howland.
Under Jon Goldberg’s expert musical direction, the cast and orchestra navigate Sondheim’s complex music and lyrics. The musical numbers incorporate movement inspired by Japanese and American arts and culture and highlight blending and clashing of cultures. As the elegant Emperor’s wife, Micheline Wu (also choreographer) performs a traditional dance with a small fan, and in “Welcome to Kajugama” geishas (Karina Wen, Kai Chao, Alexander Holden) and a madam (Gary Ng) twirl large paper umbrellas in an American musical theater/burlesque-style production number. As Commodore Perry, Kai Chao performs a solo “Lion Dance” that is a mix of dance genres. Two numbers performed by trios – “There is No Other Way” (Wu, Wen, and Elaine Hom) and Sondheim’s personal favorite of his entire songbook, “Someone in a Tree” (Milardo, Ng, Wen) were lovely. In Act II, “Please Hello” (Jeff Song as Lord Abe surrounded by five admirals from America, Russia and Europe) was lively and “Pretty Lady” (Three British sailors encircling and encroaching upon a young Japanese woman) was chilling. Unfortunately the white face masks worn by characters in the roles of ugly foreigners were lapses into stereotyping and muffled the sound, diminishing the effectiveness of the storytelling and, in my opinion, the ability of the actors to do their best work. To this impressive cast of 11 for playing over 50 different characters and conquering Sondheim’s most challenging work, bowler hats off to you! For tickets and information, go to: https://www.lyricstage.com/
