Stephen Sondheim recently responded to a letter from one of Blackbird Theater’s Pacific Overtures ensemble with a reply that ended, “I hope your audiences will not only understand it but like it.” While I obviously can’t speak for the whole crowd, this audience member replies with an enthusiastic “Yes”.
The intimate Shamblin Theater at David Lipscomb University and the well-planned, clearly-executed work of Blackbird’s talented artists make the musical accessible and enjoyable. This Nashville premiere of a 1976 work is another triumph for the ambitious two-year-old troupe led by co-founders Greg Greene and Wes Driver.
Revered composer/lyricist Sondheim teamed with John Weidman – who wrote the book – and got additional material from Hugh Wheeler (who later wrote the book for Sweeney Todd). This American musical exploration of Japan’s 1850s reopening to foreigners told from the Japanese perspective has a mixed history with audiences and reviewers alike; even a much anticipated Roundabout Theatre Company 2004 revival at Studio 54 headlined by B.D. Wong (M. Butterfly) lasted just 24 previews and 69 performances.
The 1976 Broadway premiere at the cavernous Winter Garden Theatre managed 193 performances after 13 previews with an all-male cast that was one of Pacific Overture’s nods to Kabuki-style Japanese theatre. The original Harold Prince-helmed production led New York Times critic Walter Kerr to ask: “Why tell their story their way, when they’d do it better?”
This is clearly an American-flavored musical which examines the absurdities, ironies and tragedies of the culture clash that occurred when U.S. gunboat diplomacy opened Nippon-koku to Western trade. But what harm can come from a liberal homage to such forms of Japanese theatrical storytelling as Kabuki dance drama and Noh musical drama? It encourages a healthy consideration of this historical tale from their point-of-view instead of merely contemplating it through ours.
The actors who bring Pacific Overtures to life are a mix of veterans and newcomers whose energies, characterizations, voices and movement reveal a passion for this often humorous and highly enjoyable outing. Leading the way is Travis Scott Brazil as the Reciter.
Brazil, who made an impressive regional debut last year playing Stanley in Boiler Room Theatre’s revival of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, has our attention from his opening mie – in Kabuki that refers to holding a picturesque pose that establishes character. He also gives us a funny turn as the Shogun during Act I’s “Chrysanthemum Tea” (as does the woman playing his wife, the ever-reliable Cori Laemmel).
Nancy Allen as the Shogun’s mother is good in that number too as her character gives us a lesson in the art of poisonous political persuasion. She’s one of several who make the most of their moments on stage; another is Scott Rice, who is engaging whether he’s a rather butch-looking Geisha Girl in “Welcome to Kanagawa” or playing an over-the-top Dutch admiral in the international diplomatic dance of “Please Hello”.
The pivotal role of samurai-turned-governor Kayama is played with splendid nuance by Michael Slayton. His reaction to the fate of his wife Tamate (illuminated by the triple-threat talents of the graceful Joann Coleman) is heart-rending; his lovely tenor voice and subtle acting choices make the East-to-West transition in Act II’s “A Bowler Hat” very believable.
Tyson Laemmel is terrific as fisherman-to-samurai Majiro. He handles that transformation cleanly; his “Poems” duet with Slayton is a moving precursor to a relationship that undergoes great upheaval as the story progresses.
Christopher R.C. Bosen, a real hoot as the Duke in Blackbird’s revival of G.K. Chesterton’s Magic last summer, doesn’t disappoint in the role of the commanding Lord Abe. Larry Brown – who interviewed Sondheim in 1982 for his master’s thesis and whose letter to the master led to the reply mentioned earlier – has great fun as the Shogun’s unsure Soothsayer and as a gloomy Russian admiral.
Familiar welcome talents like Mike Baum, Evelyn O’Neal Brush, James Randolph, Jama Bowen, Brad Forrister, Katherine Sandoval Taylor, Will Sevier, Patrick Kramer and Brad Oxnam also provide strong support. Among the strongest moments: Taylor and Sevier’s beautiful rendition of the haunting “There is No Other Way” and Oxnam’s sharply executed tribute to Gilbert and Sullivan in his role as a British admiral in “Please Hello”.
Maia Cole deserves special mention for her work in two highlights from Pacific Overture’s score. She’s the limb-climbing boy in the intricate “Someone in a Tree,” a tune Sondheim has said is his favorite song from any of his compositions; Cole’s also the young woman at the chilling center of “Pretty Lady” later in the show. Her voice is gorgeous; her presence and poise are artistically arresting.
Greene, Driver, dramaturg Sam Mayer, Japanese theater consultant/props master Nettie Kraft and their colleagues have done an excellent job of simply and sharply framing the musical’s world. In Brown’s design the stage is anchored by the façade of a Japanese temple; screens featuring color ukiyo-e woodblock print enlargements from the work of artists Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) and Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806) help to set both scene and tone.
The stagehands visible as they move props and scenery employ the kuroko habit of dressing in black from head to toe; Kari Cheri Smith’s expressive choreography uses elements from Japanese and Western dance; Aria Darling honors kesho makeup from the Kabuki tradition that features a white oshiroi base and colorful kumadori facial lines that express a character’s nature.
Hannah Schmidt’s costumes are detailed character studies that denote social and political ranks; from kimonos to cutaways, East and West are well-garbed. David Hardy and Stephen Moss show those costumes and other elements off to best effect with strong splashes of red, blue and other lighting hues.
Music director/conductor Benjamin Van Diepen leads a 13-member orchestra that basically handles Sondheim’s sophisticated score and Jonathan Tunick’s tight orchestrations wonderfully. The sound they generate often overpowers the relatively small Shamblin space; at times I thought the music was quite literally going to knock me out of my seat. Perhaps that’s not a bad thing for this show, though.
I know that while I like the heady mix of history and cultures in this rarely-produced work it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But Blackbird Theater has stripped away artistic barriers of style and pacing that might exist between actors and audience. That means Nashville theatergoers now have the privilege of seeing a thoroughly entertaining version of Pacific Overtures.
Blackbird Theater’s Nashville premiere of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Pacific Overtures continues through Feb. 18 in Shamblin Theater on the Lipscomb University campus, 3901 Granny White Pk. Performance dates are tonight (Feb. 3) and Saturday; Thursday, Feb. 9 to Saturday, Feb. 11; and Thursday, Feb. 16 (already sold out) to Saturday, Feb. 18. All shows start at 7:30 PM; doors open at 7 PM. For tickets ($20-$25) and more information please visit www.blackbirdnashville.com
All photos by B. Burkey Photography
