East West Players will present “Pacific Overtures,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, through Dec. 1 at the David Henry Hwang Theater, 120 Judge John Aiso St. in Little Tokyo.
The year is 1853, and it’s the end of the world. Commodore Matthew C. Perry intends to open the gates of isolationist Japan. When samurai Kayama and America-loving fisherman Manjiro are tasked with meeting the American gunboat docked on the coast of Kanagawa, little could they know that they would irreversibly change the “Floating Kingdom.”
EWP previously produced “Pacific Overtures” in 1979 with EWP founding Artistic Director Mako reprising his Tony-nominated performance as The Reciter. The musical was again produced by EWP in 1998 as the David Henry Hwang Theater’s inaugural performance.
The original Broadway cast included Soon-Tek Oh, Isao Sato, Yuki Shimoda, Sab Shimono, Ernest Abuba and Gedde Watanabe, who played Priest, Kanagawa Girl and The Boy. Watanabe, who now has extensive film and TV credits — most recently “Kung Fu Panda 4” and “Ultraman: Rising” — will return to “Pacific Overtures” to play the Shogun’s Mother and Old Man.
The cast also includes Broadway’s Jon Jon Briones as The Reciter; Scott Keiji Takeda as the Thief; Brian Kim McCormick as Kayama; Adam Kaokept as Manjiro; Kerry K. Carnahan as Lord Abe; Ashley En-Fu Matthews as Tamate; Kavin Panmeechao as the British Admiral; Kurt Kanazawa as the Fisherman; Sittachai Chaiyahat as the Warrior; Nina Kasuya as the Dutch Admiral; Aric Martin as the Madam/French Admiral; Gemma Pedersen as the American Admiral/Boy; Kit Dezolt as Commodore Perry; and Norge Yip as the Russian Admiral. Jordan Fan and Jonah Sebastian Meyer understudy this production.
EWP Artistic Director Emeritus Tim Dang returns to direct “Pacific Overtures” for the second time. “Stephen Sondheim has been an inspiration to me since I was a teenager,” he said. “This production is my homage to him, as it is the best way to celebrate Sondheim’s legacy since his passing.”
Book by John Weidman; additional material by Hugh Wheeler; orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick; original Broadway production directed by Harold Prince and produced by Prince in association with Ruth Mitchell.
Supported in part by the David Lee Foundation, “Pacific Overtures” is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. mtishows.com.
Showtimes
Previews: Friday, Nov. 8, and Saturday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m.
Opening Night: Sunday, Nov. 10, at 5 p.m. (sold out)
Friday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 16, at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. (pay-what-you-can); Friday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 23, at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m.; Monday, Nov. 25, at 8 p.m.; Friday, Nov. 29, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, Dec. 1, at 5 p.m.
For more information and tickets, go to http://eastwestplayers.org/pacific24.
The crew: Marc Macalintal, music director; Yuka Takara, choreographer; Kirk Kanesaka (Gankyō Nakamura), kabuki consultant and choreographer; Shih-wei Wu and Tsugaru Terry, Japanese music experts; Tesshi Nakagawa, scenic designer; Naomi Yoshida, costume designer; Brian Gale, lighting designer; Cricket Meyers, audio designer; David Murakami, projections designer; Glenn Michael Baker, properties designer; Yoko Haitz, hair and make-up design; Amanda Noriko Newman, fight director; Miki Yokomizu, assistant music director; J.J. Javier, assistant costume designer; Edward Khris Fernandez, stage manager; Mikayla Bettner and Bonnie Lynn Montano, assistant stage managers.
Musicians: Philip Moore, reeds; Richie Francisco, trumpet; May Zeng, trombone; Brian Paul Benning and Peter Marcos, violin; Rebecca Yeh, cello; Kyle Dombroski, percussion; Rose Doylemason, trombone (sub).
Special Events
Sunday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m.: “Look Back, Look Forward,” post-show panel and Alumni Night. Cast members Jon Jon Briones and Gedde Watanabe will discuss the impact of “Pacific Overtures” and AAPI representation on Broadway. There will also be a photo opportunity for EWP alumni from the theater’s previous productions of “Pacific Overtures.” Note: This performance is sold out. To join the waitlist, email [email protected] with the subject line “11/17 Waitlist.”
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 12:30 p.m.: “Our Artistic History,” panel featuring current EWP Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal and “Pacific Overtures” director, Artistic Director Emeritus Tim Dang on the history of East West Players and the future to come.
Saturday, Nov. 23, at 7:15 p.m.: Sondheim Night. Before the show, Justine Rafael and David Galvan will present a musical set of Sondheim’s beloved hits. Hear songs from Sondheim’s strongest women characters, as well as some gender-bent takes on his male characters.
Sunday, Nov. 24, at 7:15 p.m.: Artist Talkback after the show featuring members of the cast and creative team. Additionally, both the show and talkback will be ASL-interpreted with the services of Pro Bono ASL.