Pacific Overtures Preview # 1 Review

I had the pleasure of seeing PACIFIC OVERTURES last night, and I was pleasurably fulfilled:
The show is nearly 3 hours, and to be honest - it drags minutely.
The cast is absolutely wonderful.
The music, as always, speaks beautifully.
There are a good number of theatrical genius moments, be prepared.
B.D.Wong was fabulous...absolutely phenomenal.
Overall, see the show.
(of course)
It is a great night in the theatre, and it sure makes you feel bad for being an American.
The way they portray people from other countries is thrillingly hilarious.
Enjoy.
-d.bj-

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Woo hoo!
Enjoy, Jim!
-d.b.j-

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"The way they portray people from other countries is thrillingly hilarious."

Are you referring to the 'Please Hello" number?

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I love this show! I got a chance to see a revival at the Promenade Theatre in 1984. I hope to see this production if I can get to New York in time. There is some really good music and some GREAT lyrics in this musical.
Collection of Musicals Lyrics and Libretti

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Glad you enjoyed - I'm going to check this out for sure.

I must know, though - is it still table seating at 54? Please say yes.

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YAY! That probably makes me happier than it should.

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WHO'S JIM!?

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Is it really almost 3 hours? How close to eleven does it come down? I'm shocked, since I don't recall the original, or the small-scale revival, being so long. Perhaps they'll trim it down by 10-15 minutes, just tightening transitions and set movement; first previews are notoriously unpredictable -- and rarely reflect the ultimate running time.(I'm going on the 24th, selfishly, wonder if I can make the 11:11 train outta Penn... The next is 12:34.)

Is it visually stunning? One hopes for the Japanese imprint on the show's staging and design bring out new elements.

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Three hours of B.D. What a gift. :)

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I'm afraid I must agree with Jose that this revival is the most lackluster production of 'Pacific Overtures' that I have seen. I did not see the original but I saw the Promenade revival in 1984, a production in Palo Alto, CA (starring Francis Jue), a Chicago production a few years ago, and the all-Japanese Kennedy Center production, and this was the first time the show failed to move me. Bradd Wong is a fine actor, but he is miscast here. The reciter should be a commanding presence on stage, a bit frightening, and slightly mysterious. Wong is none of these. He is not even convincingly Japanese. Just because he is Asian doesn't mean that he's right for the part. It's like arguing that Carol Channing would be a good choice for Rose in 'Gypsy' because, y'know, they're both women after all. I saw the first preview and I am willing to cut the performers some slack since they may not have had time to fine-tune their performances but I think the whole production looked cheap. The standouts for me were Alvin Ing and Sab Shimono (both of the 1976 original) who do their best to hold this production together. In addition, Francis Jue was out sick so his understudy went on as the madam in 'Welcome to Kanagawa' and did a fine job (but why are the Geisha three women and one man dressed as a woman instead of all men dressed as women?) What happened to the Lion Dance at the end of act one? And one catty comment: it looks like Manjiro found a David Barton during his time in Massachusetts; he's quite the buffed boy. Totally wrong for the character but nice eye candy. Last comment: put me down on the side of hating Studio 54 as the venue for this show. It was one thing for 'Cabaret' but a show like 'Pacific Overtures' demands attention and people rattling ice and scraping chairs tends to distract from what's going on onstage. Of course I'll go back after the show opens to get another look (and see Francis Jue once he returns) but I'm not hopeful that this production will ever knock me out.

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Saw the 84 NYC production and Chicago Shakespeare (of about two or three years ago). Would still love to see B. D. on stage for three hours.

Loved him so many years ago in M. Butterfly.

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Comparisons to the original '76 production are bound to be made. I happened to have seen that one 3, maybe 4 times. It's the only production of PO I've ever seen, before last night.

Let's not compare. From what I saw (Act One) of the current offering:

The show looks cheap, there are no two ways around that point in fact. The director does not have a clue on what makes the tension in the show work. Remove the tension, and the presentational style, and the entire show falls apart. Wong is wrong. [Say that aloud a few times and you'll sense the humor in the sentence.] I can't even begin to list the many reasons this is bad casting. "Welcome to Kanagawa," one of the highlights of the orignal, is presented as if it's a number in a drag show downtown. The pool of water, and the sound of the water, are distracting. Not nearly as distracting at the ridiculous headresses worn by Perry and the Americans. Hello? Let's upstage everything for no reason. Where was "The Lion Dance"? Surely, those pathetic steps was not it?

NOTE: If you happen to sit in the top right side of the Balcony, beware the lights that will shine in your face once the flag unfurls as the Americans arrive. I had to watch the entire scene with my Playbill shielding my eyes from the bright, white lights.

ADDENDUM: To sum up, my own expectations were not met, and that left me disappointed.

The hard work of the performers, miscast or not, is not to be dismissed lightly.

Updated On: 11/14/04 at 08:20 AM

Already sounds disappointing. I am surprised about Wong. But perhaps I should not have been. Still, he had Sondheim's blessing. And I agree with Plum; ASSASSINS was so fully realized, I had high expectations for this. I'll lower them between now and 11/24. Sounds like the score is at least well served.

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