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, Pacific Overtures 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 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.
