This year, it seems my wife and I have been playing “collect all the Sondheims.” We traveled to New York to see the Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along, with Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsey Mendez in the lead roles. While there, we scored some discount tickets to Sweeney Todd, which I had not seen. I had previously seen local productions of Assassins, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Sunday in the Park with George, as well as a magnificent full orchestra version of A Little Night Music in Pasadena.
That brought me up to six total, a few less than my wife.
Then, I saw a post by a musician colleague who was playing (a long with a couple other BSO imports) for this musical, by East West Players in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo - the longest running Asian-American theater in the US. And hey, why not?
So, we grabbed some tickets, and made an evening of it - Ramen, play, drinks to discuss afterward.
One thing that I can say, having now seen seven Sondheims, is that not a single one is like any other one. They are so different in topic, mood, and conception. Even the music is wildly different. What ties them together is Sondheim’s particular way of lyric writing and vocal/musical idiom. You can recognize a Sondheim song, whether it is in operetta style, or, here, in a quasi-Japanese musical style.
Pacific Overtures debuted in 1976, was nominated for a bunch of awards, won a pair, and had a moderately successful Broadway run. However, it is one of Sondheim’s least performed musicals today.
Why? In part because of the challenge it poses for performance. In its original conception, it was to be done in the style of traditional Kabuki theater, which means men playing all the parts, including the female ones. So, unless you are willing to do yellowface (which Sondheim would not have approved), you need a pretty sizable number of Japanese (or at least east Asian) men who can sing both male and female parts. Oh, and also musicians who can play traditional Japanese flutes, percussion, and shamisen.
So, let’s just say that the average community theater, or even small-city professional group is unlikely to have the resources. But Los Angeles? You bet your bucks they can do it!
For this production, they did bend the gender rules a bit. Women played a number of the smaller parts - including some of the Westerners, a sumo wrestler, and one of the geishas. So, gender bending all around, which was pretty fun. (Particularly Aric Martin as the madam. Hilarious.)
The costumes were mostly kabuki-style, and the Westerners were all hilariously exaggerated. The set was creative, with some of the best use of projections I have seen. This is a small theater built in a former church building, so no fly, and limited space. This did make for a delightfully intimate space, where our balcony seats gave excellent views.
I believe this version was based on John Weidman’s revised book, for the 2017 revival, which removed some material (including some things that are seen as stereotypes today.)
In any case, I was surprised by how nuanced the musical is. Sondheim tells the story from the point of view of the Japanese, so it has a different perspective from the colonialist one we learn in school. The Opening of Japan from their point of view was an act of violence, and a case of a superpower throwing its weight (and its guns) around.
Even the parts of traditional Japanese culture that are played for laughs were handled in a way that made them more universal. For example, the hilarious song in which the Shogun refuses to take any action or make any decision about the American warships reminded my wife and me of nothing so much as Trump’s indecision and inaction during Covid. Or the geishas preparing to deal with the horny sailors, which is a pretty pointed social commentary while still being laugh-out-loud funny.
The finale, when the emperor modernizes and the subsequent history plays out, the company shows quite a number of things that post-date the musical itself: the Camry as the best-selling car, Pokemon, and, of course Shohei Ohtani. Who is larger than life here in southern California.
The lyrics are truly superb in this musical, in my opinion. Not that any of Sondheim’s lyrics are weak - he could write, and may be the most brainy lyricist Broadway has ever had. (The only other one at that level that comes readily to mind is Cole Porter, but my wife the Broadway nut probably has a list…)
I have to share a few. First is from “Crysanthemum Tea” - that scene where the Shogun ignores warnings, until his mother gets exasperated and poisons him. Just one verse:
It's the Day of the Ox, my Lord.
With but three days remaining
And today already waning,
I've a few further shocks, my Lord.
To begin, let me say,
At the risk of repetition,
There are ships in the bay,
And they didn't ask permission,
But they sit there all day
In contemptuous array
With a letter to convey
And they haven't gone away
And there's every indication
They they still plan to stay,
And you look a little gray, my Lord ?
Have some tea, my Lord,
Some chrysanthemum tea,
While we plan, if we can,
What our answer ought to be.
If the tea the Shogun drank will
Serve to keep the Shogun tranquil,
I suggest, if I may, my Lord,
We consult the Confucians ?
They have mystical solutions.
There are none wise as they, my Lord?
And then, the Confucians have this to say:
Night waters do not break the moon.
That merely is illusion.
The moon is sacred.
No foreign ships can break our laws.
That also is illusion.
Our laws are sacred.
It follows there can be no ships.
They must be an illusion.
Japan is sacred.
Shades of Trump and “It will disappear” regarding Covid?
I’ll mention “Welcome to Kanagawa,” sung by the Madam and the geishas. It is naughty as hell, of course, but in a way that hints rather than describes. And the “yo ho” by the Madam - so good.
And then there is the song that Sondheim said was his favorite of all the ones he wrote: “Someone in a Tree.” Which is also just about the most Sondheim song ever written. I mean, it could almost be a parody of Sondheim.
The idea is that since there is no “official” Japanese account of what happened when Commodore Perry met with the Japanese delegation, the Reciter wants to know what happened. Enter this old guy, who claims to have witnessed it all while hiding in a tree.
Except that we never get to hear what happened. Instead, we get this:
OLD MAN
Pardon me, I was there.
RECITER
You were where?
OLD MAN
At the treaty house.
RECITER
At the treaty house?
OLD MAN
There was a tree ?
RECITER
Which was where?
OLD MAN
Very near.
RECITER
Over here?
OLD MAN
Maybe over there,
But there were trees then, everywhere.
May I show you?
RECITER
If you please.
OLD MAN
There were trees
Then, everywhere.
RECITER
But you were there.
OLD MAN
And I was there!
Let me show you.
RECITER
If you please.
OLD MAN
(tries to climb)
I was younger then ?
(tries again)
I was good at climbing trees ?
(again)
I was younger then ?
(again)
I saw everything! ?
(again)
I was hidden all the time ?
(again)
It was easier to climb ?
(again)
I was younger then ?
(again)
I saw everything! ?
(again)
Where they came and where they went ?
I was part of the event.
I was someone in a tree!
(tries once more)
I was younger then!
(Suddenly, a Young Boy appears, scurries across the stage, and up the tree.)
BOY
(to the Old Man)
Tell him what I see!
OLD MAN
I am in a tree.
I am ten.
I am in a tree.
BOY
I was younger then.
OLD MAN
In between the eaves I can see ?
(to the Boy)
Tell me what I see.
(to the Reciter)
I was only ten.
BOY
I see men and matting.
Some are old, some chatting.
OLD MAN
If it happened, I was there!
BOTH
I saw/see everything!
OLD MAN
I was someone in a tree.
BOY
Tell him what I see!
OLD MAN
Some of them have gold on their coats.
BOY
One of them has gold.
(to the Reciter)
He was younger then.
OLD MAN
Someone crawls around passing notes ?
BOY
Someone very old ?
OLD MAN
(to the Reciter)
He was only ten.
BOY
And there's someone in a tree ?
OLD MAN
? Or the day is incomplete.
BOTH
Without someone in a tree,
Nothing happened here.
OLD MAN
I am hiding in a tree.
BOY
I'm a fragment of the day.
BOTH
If I weren't, who's to say
Things would happen here the way
That they happened here?
OLD MAN
I was there then.
BOY
I am here still.
It's the fragment, not the day.
OLD MAN
It's the pebble, not the stream.
BOTH
It's the ripple, not the sea.
Not the building but the beam,
Not the garden but the stone,
Not the treaty house,
Someone in a tree.
WARRIOR
(slides panel open underneath the house)
Pardon me, I am here ?
If you please, I am also here ?
OLD MAN
They kept drinking cups of tea.
BOY
They kept sitting on the floor.
BOTH
They drank many cups of tea.
(to each other)
No, we told him that before.
WARRIOR
If you please, I am here.
RECITER
You are where?
WARRIOR
In the treaty house.
RECITER
In the treaty house?
WARRIOR
Or very near.
RECITER
Can you hear?
WARRIOR
I'm below.
RECITER
So I notice.
WARRIOR
Underneath the floor,
And so I can't see anything.
I can hear them,
But I can't see anything.
RECITER
But you can hear?
WARRIOR
But I can hear.
Shall I listen?
RECITER
If you please.
WARRIOR
I can hear them now ?
I shall try to shift my knees ?
I can hear them now ?
I hear everything ?
I'm the part that's underneath,
With my sword inside my sheath.
I can hear them now ?
One is over me ?
If they knock, then I appear.
I'm a part of what I hear.
I'm the fragment underneath.
I can hear them now!
RECITER, OLD MAN, BOY
Tell us what you hear!
WARRIOR
First I hear a creak and a thump.
Now I hear a clink ?
Then they talk a bit ?
Many times they shout when they speak.
Other times they think.
Or they argue it ?
I hear floorboards groaning ?
Angry growls ? Much droning ?
Since I hear them, they are there,
As they argue it.
I'm the listener underneath.
BOY
(peering into the house)
Someone reads a list
From a box.
WARRIOR
(listening)
Someone talks of laws.
OLD MAN
Then they fan a bit.
BOY
Someone bangs a fist.
WARRIOR
Someone knocks.
OLD MAN
Now there was a pause.
ALL
Then they argue it:
WARRIOR
"But we want ?"
"No, you can't
And we won't ?"
"But we need it,
And we want ?"
"Will you grant ? ?"
"If you don't ?"
"We concede it ?"
OLD MAN WARRIOR
And they sat I can hear
Through the night Them.
And they lit
Yellow tapers. BOY
I was I'm a And they
There Fragment of the Chat
Then. Day. And they fight
And they sit
Signing papers.
If I If I I am
Weren't, who's to Weren't, who's to There
Say Say Still.
Things would Things would If I
Happen here the Happen here the Weren't who's to
Way Way Say
That they're That they're That they're
Happening? Happening? Happening?
ALL
It's the fragment, not the day.
It's the pebble, not the stream.
It's the ripple, not the sea
That is happening.
Not the building but the beam,
Not the garden but the stone,
Only cups of tea
And history
And someone in a tree.
Congratulations if you got through all that!
I’ll also mention “Bowler Hat” as a great song - where Kayama - the minor samurai who is tasked with making the Americans go away, and then, when that is unsuccessful, in managing the trade - finds himself becoming “Americanized.”
Oh, and also “Please Hello,” which parodies Americans and Europeans in turn. So hilarious. They all line up to get treaties signed. So, the Americans:
Treaty meet approval? If no,
Commodore Perry very fierce.
Disregard confusion below:
President Fillmore now named Pierce.
Good! At last agreement is made,
Letter will let us come again.
First result of mutual trade:
Commodore getting letter letting,
Councillor getting fancy pen!
Goodbye.
And then the Brits, with a Gilbert and Sullivan patter aria, of course!
Hello, I come with letters from Her Majesty Victoria
Who, learning how you're trading now, sang "Hallelujah, Gloria!"
And sent me to convey to you her positive euphoria
As well as little gifts from Britain's various emporia.
Her letters do contain a few proposals to your Emperor
Which if, of course, he won't endorse, will put in her in a temper or,
More happily, should he agree, will serve to keep her placid, or
At least till I am followed by a permanent ambassador.
Join us for the chorus!
A treaty port and, from the court, a permanent ambassador.
A treaty port and, from the court, a permanent ambassador.
A treaty port and, from the court, a permanent ambassador…
How about some more?
Her Majesty considers the arrangements to be tentative
Until we ship a proper diplomatic representative.
We don't foresee that you will be the least bit argumentative,
So please ignore the man-of-war we brought as a preventative.
Sing along!
Yes, please ignore the man-of-war
That's anchored rather near the shore,
It's nothing but a metaphor
That acts as a preventative
And then the reticent Dutch:
Hold everything!
We gonna bring
Chocolate!
Wouldn' you like to lease
A beautiful little piece
Of chocolate?
Listen, that's not to mention
Wonderful ? pay attention! ?
Windmills
Und tulips,
Und wouldn' you like a wooden shoe?
There ? can you read?
Good! We will need
Two ports,
One of them not to rocky
How about Nagasaki?
Two ports,
One of them for the cocoa
What do you call it? ? Yoko
Hama! Ja!
Und Nagasaki! Ja!
Sign here!
Don’t forget the malevolent Russians, complete with Tsarist military uniform and a sacrosanct coat:
Please hello,
Is bringing Czar's request,
Braving snow
With letter to protest:
Since we know
You trading with the West,
You might at least
(Don't touch the coat!)
Start looking East ?
(thinking about it)
? Or closer West ?
(thinking again)
? Well, farther North ?
(looking around)
Are we the fourth?
I feel depressed.
(Don't touch the coat!)
This one also comes with a great legal reference:
Coming next
Is extraterritoriality.
Noting text
Say "extraterritoriality."
You perplexed
By "extraterritoriality"?
(points)
Just noting clause
(Don't touch the coat!)
Which say your laws
Do not apply
(Don't touch the coat!)
When we drop by ?
Not getting shot,
No matter what:
A minor scrape,
A major rape,
And we escape
(Don't touch the cape!)
That's what is extraterritoriality.
And then, naturally, ALL the nations want that immunity. Who knew?
Let’s not forget the French either:
Would you like to know ze word
From Napoleon ze Third?
(shoves bundle of papers at Abe)
It's detente! Oui, detente!
Zat's ze only thing we want!
Just detente! Oooh, detente!
No agreement could be more fair!
Signing pacts, passing acts,
Zere's no time for making warfare
When you're always busy making wiz ze
Mutual detente!
(blows another kiss)
A detente! A detente
Is ze only thing we wish!
Same as zem, except additional
Ze rights to fish!
You'll be paid, you'll be paid
And we'll 'ave ze big parade
If we somehow can persuade
You to accept our aid.
All in all, what a song to satirize colonialism.
I won’t say too much more about the production itself, other than to note that the acting and singing was solid from start to finish. The vision felt coherent, a bit understated, and told a poignant story of the inevitability of change. The costumes were interesting as well, and the sound balance was exceptional - we never lost the voices under the instruments, but the score came through as well. While a full orchestra would have been nice, the small ensemble felt balanced and clear, and fit the smaller venue and the intimate feel of the staging well.
I do want to say a bit about the themes, because I think that they still resonate today, and, like so much of life, there really isn’t a “good” or “evil” that is clear.
I’m no fan of colonialism, to be sure, but I also do not think that isolationism is either practical or desirable. For myself, I love the vibrant diversity of Los Angeles, of California, and of the cosmopolitan cities everywhere.
On the one hand, I can understand the Japanese desire to be simply left alone. On the other, the isolationist tendency here in white rural America is ample evidence that purported isolationism all too often is inseparable from racial chauvinism - and that certainly was present in Japan at the time.
It was inevitable that Japan would become part of the global world sooner or later. How that happened is no source of pride for America and Europe - there was the usual exploitation and violence of course, and one might say that Japan’s participation in World War Two may well have been the result both of envy of the American Empire and revenge for our arrogance in the imperialism we inflicted on east Asia.
And, despite what the reactionaries of our time desperately want to believe, none of us can stop change. None of us can ensure that things remain the way they have. In the end, we all have to adapt to change. Or we ossify, and in doing so turn ourselves to stone.
And, as both the original musical and the modern updates make clear, Japan has done pretty darn well for itself in the aftermath of opening.
My family’s personal car fleet has a Toyota, a Subaru, and a rebadged Mazda (Ford Fusion.) My kids love Studio Ghibli’s movies. One of my adult kids has taken 5 semesters of Japanese, and can now read at about a 3rd grade level in Kanji. We have an addiction to real ramen, which you can even get in the Red Counties here in California. And Ohtani sure had a year for the record books.
The world is a richer place because of Japan. And of course, one can say that about anywhere. I grew up in a multicultural city, and I love that whole vibe when you experience people from everywhere. I believe Sondheim felt the same way, which explains his ambivalence in this musical. Was the opening a good thing or a bad thing? Sondheim’s answer - and perhaps mine as well, is “YES, AND.”
I see they extended the run for one more weekend due to strong ticket demand. If you can find time in your busy holiday schedule, go see it while you can.
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