Pacific Overtures

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Pacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler, set in 1853 Japan. The title of the work is ironic, nodding toward "overture" as a musical form, and archly noting that the initiatives of the Western powers for commercial exploitation of the Pacific nation were anything but pacific overtures. Built around a quasi-Japanese pentatonic scale, the music contrasts Japanese contemplation ("There is No Other Way") with Western ingeniousness ("Please Hello," "Pretty Lady"). Sondheim said in 1976 that "Someone in a Tree," where two witnesses describe negotiations between Japanese and Americans, was his personal favorite of all the songs he had written. "A Bowler Hat" neatly encapsulates the show's theme, as a samurai gradually sells out to the Westerners. The musical's original Broadway production in 1976 was presented in Kabuki style, with men playing women's parts and set changes made in full view of the audience by men dressed in black. "Pacific Overtures" opened to mixed reviews and closed after six months (nevertheless being nominated for 10 Tony Awards), yet today the score is widely considered to be one of Sondheim's finest, and the show is frequently revived. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

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