Pacific Overtures
About the Show
Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman (authors of Assassins) mix elements of Kabuki theatre with the conventions of the Broadway musical in Pacific Overtures, a highly original, inventive, powerful, educational and surprisingly humorous theatrical experience. Considered by many to be the artistic pinnacle of the legendary Sondheim/Prince collaborations, this exploration of culture and imperialism pushes the boundaries of musical theatre further than ever before.
Commodore Matthew Perry’s 1853 mission to open trade relations with isolationist Japan through gunboat diplomacy forges an unlikely friendship between the samurai, Kayama, and the Americanized fisherman, Manjiro. Kayama and Manjiro – and all of Japanese society – must face the wave of Westernization that follows.
Pacific Overtures explores how structures of power are dislodged and replaced by one another, be it in the name of modernity, imperialism, or survival. It presents a range of characters who see their lives upended in the face of global upheaval. The grandiose aesthetics of kabuki embellish the story in larger-than-life scope as the characters struggle to reconcile tradition with modernity, the world around them rapidly transforming through the inevitable ebb and flow of history.
In Pacific Overtures we of Kunoichi Productions see ourselves reflected, grappling with our hybridity.
As natives, professionals in, and subject matter experts of traditional Japanese theatrical forms such as noh, kyogen, and kabuki, our production team brings to bear a fuller understanding of the cultural aesthetics Sondheim and Weidman employed in the foundations of the piece. As modern artists, we not only our traditions, but also mastery of ballet, modern dance, and contemporary visual art.
