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''Pacific Overtures'' is a musical written by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman. The show is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, told from the point of view of the Japanese. In particular, the story focuses on the lives of two friends caught in the change. The title of the work is drawn directly from text in a letter from Admiral Perry addressed to the Emperor dated July 7, 1853: "Many of the large ships-of-war destined to visit Japan have not yet arrived in these seas, though they are hourly expected; and the undersigned, as an evidence of his friendly intentions, has brought but four of the smaller ones, designing, should it become necessary, to return to Edo in the ensuing spring with a much larger force. In addition to playing on the musical term "overture" and the geographical reference to the Pacific Ocean there is also the irony, revealed as the story unfolds, that these "pacific overtures" to initiate commercial exploitation of the Pacific nation were backed by a none too subtle threat of force.〔 Built around a quasi-Japanese pentatonic scale, the music contrasts Japanese contemplation ("There is No Other Way") with Western ingenuousness ("Please Hello"). The score is generally considered to be one of Sondheim's most ambitious and sophisticated efforts.〔Suskin, Steven. "Show Tunes" (2000). Oxford University Press US. ISBN 0-19-512599-1, p. 283〕 The original Broadway production of ''Pacific Overtures'' in 1976 was presented in Kabuki style, with men playing women's parts and set changes made in full view of the audience by people dressed in black. It opened to mixed reviews and closed after six months, despite being nominated for ten Tony Awards. Given the unusual casting and production demands, ''Pacific Overtures'' remains one of the least-performed musicals by Stephen Sondheim. The show is occasionally put on by opera companies. ==Productions== ''Pacific Overtures'' previewed in Boston and ran at The Kennedy Center for a month before opening on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre on January 11, 1976. It closed after 193 performances on June 27, 1976. Directed by Harold Prince, the choreography was by Patricia Birch, scenic design by Boris Aronson, costume design by Florence Klotz, and lighting design by Tharon Musser. The original cast recording was released originally by RCA Records and later on CD. This production was nominated for 10 Tony Awards, and won Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson) and Best Costume Design (Florence Klotz). An off-Broadway production ran at the Promenade Theatre from October 25, 1984 for 109 performances, transferring from an earlier production at the York Theatre Company. Directed by Fran Soeder with choreography by Janet Watson, the cast featured Ernest Abuba and Kevin Gray.〔(''Pacific Overtures'' Listing ) lortel.org, retrieved December 10, 2009〕 The European premiere was directed by Howard Lloyd-Lewis (Library Theatre, Manchester) at Wythenshawe Forum in 1986 with choreography by Paul Kerryson who subsequently directed productions in 1993 and 2006 at Leicester Haymarket Theatre. A major production of the show was mounted in London by the English National Opera in 1987. The production was recorded in its entirety, preserving nearly the entire libretto as well as the score.〔Jones, Kenneth.("Pacific Overtures Gets Recorded for CD Feb. 1" ) playbill.com, February 1, 2005〕 A critically acclaimed 2001 Chicago Shakespeare Theater production, directed by Gary Griffin,〔Kleiman, Kelly. (Review, ''Pacific Overtures'' ) aislesay.com, retrieved December 10, 2009〕 transferred to the West End Donmar Warehouse, where it ran from June 30, 2003 until September 6, 2003 and received the 2003 Olivier Award for Best Musical Production. In 2002 the New National Theatre of Tokyo presented two limited engagements of their production, which was performed in Japanese with English supertitles. The production ran at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center from July 9, 2002 through July 13, and then at the Eisenhower Theater, Kennedy Center, from September 3, 2002 through September 8.〔Lipfert, David and Lohrey, David.("Lincoln Center Festival 2002" ) curtainup.com, July 13, 2002〕〔(The Sondheim Celebration - ARCHIVE ) potomacstages.com, retrieved December 10, 2009〕 A Broadway revival ran at Studio 54 from December 2, 2004 to January 30, 2005, directed by Amon Miyamoto and starring B.D. Wong as the Narrator and several members of the original cast. A new Broadway recording, with new (reduced) orchestrations by orchestrator Jonathan Tunick was released by PS Classics, with additional material not included on the original cast album.〔 The production was nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. The Original broadway production was filmed and broadcast on Japanese television in 1976.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Pacific Overtures (TV Movie 1976) )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pacific Overtures」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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