For Asian American theater producer, East West Players, there are some firsts but more so a return to roots with Stephen Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures — a show with much intertwined history that will conclude the L.A.-based company’s 2024 season.
The two-time Tony Award-winning show, and perhaps Sondheim’s most underrated work ever, is set in Japan and told from the perspective of the Japanese in 1853 upon having first encountered the Westernized influence of the United States via ships. Questions surrounding the threat or merit of this on a culture that had, hitherto been protected by the bodies of water around it, affect a collection of characters expressed through conventional means and Kabuki theater.
The musical, which initially premiered in 1976 on Broadway, will be the first production for new Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal. For former EWP Artistic Director Tim Dang, this will mark the second time he has directed Pacific Overtures (the last time being at the David Henry Hwang Theater in 1998). But what’s even more interesting is the Pacific Overtures connection to founding EWP Artistic Director Mako (Conan the Barbarian, Avatar: The Last Airbender), who on Broadway originated one of the musical’s principal roles, the Reciter, and is responsible for EWP’s first run of the production in 1978.
Sondheim, of course, is no stranger to EWP whose alums and newcomers have united to again present Pacific Overtures in 2024 to stir discussion on the substantive thematic devices rippling through the two acts. One of these actors is Scott Keiji Takeda whose Thief (among other characters) joins Jon Jon Briones (the Reciter), Gedde Watanabe (Shogun’s Mother, Old Man, Imperial Priest), and more, to make a profound statement on tradition versus transmutation by way of imperialism.
In a recent interview with LAexcites, Takeda elaborated on these themes and the welcomed challenges of getting them effectively across as a performer.
Do you only play the Thief or do you play other characters as has been customarily done by others before you? If so, is there one character you identify with the most?
Takeda: There’s a ton of other roles I’m playing –- Councillor #2, a Sailor, Sumo Wrestler, a Noble, and a Kuroko (a stage assistant delivering props, helping with scene changes in Kabuki theater). Everyone in the cast is playing five or six roles. It’s pretty intense and complex with the costume changes, which will be fun.
I have a solo built in as the Thief. But as the second councillor, I have more lines. I wouldn’t say there’s one character I identify with over the other; it’s fun to play many and differentiate the roles and make it clear to the audience you’re not the same person. As a performer, with multiple roles, you show more range, but it’s a challenge to figure out how to make each of these characters distinct and unique.
Also, what’s interesting is that with a whole cast doing that, we not only differentiate from ourselves, but each other. It’s a challenge, but that’s what I love about this process — I get to see what everyone is bringing to the table and see how each puzzle piece fits into that larger picture.
There’s also the challenge of building a story with a character, like the Noble, who only has one line.
Stephen Sondheim’s score for Pacific Overtures is unique, utilizing parallel fourths to pay homage to the Japanese style of music. What are some of the challenges and rewards of performing his music in the show?
Takeda: Yeah, there is a difference between the songs that are more traditional or set in a more traditional Japanese style versus the songs that are representing the Westerners coming into the space. You may not notice if you’re just listening or don’t have a deep knowledge of music theory, but there’s a difference in tones and styles of music.
One of the challenges with Sondheim is that he uses voices as another instrument — and what I mean by that is, if you’re playing an instrument, you can play a G immediately. if asked to sing a G on the spot as a vocalist, it’s hard to do that. [In this show], there are times with no music at all, where you’re responsible for coming in with the orchestra on the downbeat with the correct note. The question is, ‘how do I find that note?’ There isn’t a great way to know. You have to drill it down, get it into your body, and experience how it fits with everyone else.
One of the things our music director (Marc Macalintal) did is give us rehearsal tracks and pluck out our notes to learn the music with. It’s one thing to learn it on your own, and it’s another to sing it next to someone else who is singing it a half step down, clashing with you; you have to get comfortable with dissonance so you live there. That’s what makes Sondheim great — he’s not afraid with changing sounds and time signatures and, as a musical theater performer, this is what you live for.
In addition to his musicality, Sondheim is also known for his witty wordplay. Are there any lyrics that come to mind which insightfully encapsulate the themes in Pacific Overtures?
Takeda: I think the first and last songs of the show are great bookends. The first song of the show is called ‘The Advantages (…)’ and that one is about the idea of Japan being this culture that is separate from the rest of the world — and they’re priding themselves on it. It’s funny — they’re happy being this island and realize the rest of the world might be more advanced, but they’re content with where they’re at.
In the last song, ‘Next,’ it’s a different idea there — now that we’ve opened up and explored the rest of the world, not only is the rest of the world exploring our (Japanese) culture, but we’re giving the rest of the world our culture. Now Japan can influence instead of being influenced.
In “Four Black Dragons,” one of your characters, the Thief, along with other peasants, describes the incursion of American vessels into Japanese territory. What’s it been like rehearsing this number?
Takeda: I love singing that song. First of all, Kurt Kanazawa, who sings it with me, is a dear friend of mine. We’re so excited to sing it together. Kurt has opera training, and he has an unbelievable voice, so, whenever we sing it, I just try to keep up with him [laughs].
While I don’t have formal training like Kurt does, most of my experience vocally was being in choirs my whole life and studying traditional choir music; [nevertheless], it’s fun to sing this.
The show explores the impact of Western imperialism on Japan. How do you think this might resonate with modern audiences and how has this theme informed your understanding of cultural identity as someone of Japanese descent?
Takeda: We discussed some things in rehearsal like what we hope audiences will leave with and why it’s relevant today. It was a great discussion and what came out of that is at the end of the show, there’s no resolute answer to the questions the show poses. I think what’s interesting — and this relates to today — is the show tackles with the idea that Japan was a very homogenized culture and still is, and prided itself on that, and has been afraid to open up to the West. [The show] doesn’t necessarily take a stance on if it’s a good or bad thing. With political talks about borders and things like that, that’s what this show deals with, specifically in Japan, in a different time.
The production prompts the idea and the discussion rather than taking a stance, which is what I think is interesting. As a cast and as individuals, we have our own thoughts on it, but what it conveys is that it’s not black or white, and it never is; there are always two sides to things and it’s up to us to have that discussion and form our own opinions.
It seems that the individual characters in the production are less prioritized than the allegorical messages, which take precedent. As an actor, how do you approach this?
Takeda: A lot of what we’re trying to do with this show is try and bring in those Kabuki elements and honor the tradition of Kabuki in the original production of this show while still relating it to a modern audience. There’s a lot of this physicality that comes into play that might be a little broader or over the top.
I hesitate to say ‘over the top’ as I think it can still be subtle, but you want to provide something that may not be as common for a Western audience. Kabuki is very specific and thought out, with every movement. And if there’s no movement, then it should be still, but that also makes gestures much grander, which are elevated since nobody else is moving. That’s what we’re trying to capture — by including those elements to not only differentiate between characters and the story, but to honor the Japanese tradition that’s baked into the show as well.
Because none of us in the show are classically trained in Kabuki, it’s been a challenge. We’ve staged it with our Western intuition and training, but now what we’re doing is focusing on the Kabuki, and how and where we can add it to the show so it makes sense and doesn’t look jarring from the rest of what is happening.
This last question touches on some of what you previously mentioned. Do you think globalization and/or Westernization can be justified in any way? Perhaps it depends on how you look at it — one might say an undisturbed culture, previously unexposed to outside influences, has, in the face of Western values, either been eradicated or evolved by picking and choosing which qualities or trends to adopt. We’ve seen this going back more than 60 years with American television influencing people abroad, but now it’s even more pronounced with social media. Should this be avoided at all costs, should it be looked at as inevitable, or is there a middle ground?
Takeda: I think what it is — even Japan was a country or culture that invaded a lot of other countries and occupied them. As we evolve as people, as a world, we are realizing that it is a trade — no culture should overtake another culture, but there is value in exchanging and sharing culture. And that is what this show talks about as well.
There is a fear of globalization in that one culture will overtake another and history has shown that will happen. But the reality is, if we can look at it as a mutual relationship where there is an exchange, then we can be more well-rounded and grow.
Cover image caption: Scott Keiji Takeda stars in East West Players’ production of Pacific Overtures. Photo by Teolindo
East West Players’ production of Pacific Overtures runs from Thursday, November 7th through Sunday, December 8th. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit eastwestplayers.org.
