With its elegant presentation of Stephen Sondheim’s “Pacific Overtures,” San Francisco’s Kunoichi Productions is fulfilling its mission to present “innovative theater with Japanese aesthetics, blending ancient and modern, using comedy and philosophy, while fusing Eastern and Western elements.”
Onstage at Brava Theater through June 15, the rarely seen, unconventional musical with a book by John Weidman features an excellent cast in a 19th-century story about Japan’s resistance to Western influences. Unsurprisingly, its themes resonate today.
More specifically, it details machinations around the arrival of Admiral Matthew Perry to Japan’s shores in 1853, and the dramatic steps Japanese leaders take to dismiss the U.S. forces.
The production team brings the era to vivid life. The show simply looks great, with Yusuke Soi’s set (a Japanese wood structure and screens flanked by greenery) lit by Kelly Cahill, and numerous to-die-for period costumes by Keiko Shimosato Carreiro.
Choreographers Megan Kurashige and Shannon Kurashige of Sharp & Fine contemporary dance troupe and puppeteer Ai Eibashi supply supple movement.
Mixing kabuki and Broadway styles, director Nick Ishimaru (of San Francisco’s Theatre of Yugen) and assistant director Bandō Hirohichirō elicit seamless, fluid performances, highlight the text’s humor, and make what could be a confusing story flow nicely.
Under music director Diana Lee, the beautifully harmonizing chorus, with most performers in multiple roles, nails Sondheim’s difficult score. They include: Lawrence-Michael C. Arias, Faustino Cadiz III, Edward Im, Stephen Kanaski, Ryan Marchand, Eiko Moon-Yamamoto, Mayadevi Ross and Julia Wright.
Standouts are Shimosato Carreiro as The Reciter, whose narration and insight provide welcome background and structure; Nick Nakashima as Kayama, a samurai tasked with driving the Americans away who comes up with a brilliant plan; Sarah Jiang as Kayama’s wife Tamate; and Vinh G. Nguyen as Manjiro, a fisherman with American associations.
Among the most vivid numbers are the opener, with the Reciter and the company describing Japan’s history of isolation in “The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea” as players wave blue fabric across the stage—fun!; and when Tamate expresses her dismay upon learning Kayama’s assignment will likely bring him death in “There Is No Other Way.”
Also notable are the clever “Poems,” in which Kayama and Manjiro become friends; and the funny “Welcome to Kanagawa” with a madam and her girls. Kayama elucidates the show’s theme about the encroachment of Westerner culture in the contemplative “A Bowler Hat.”
In program notes, the Asian American artists comprising Kunoichi Productions say they see themselves “grappling with [their] hybridity” in presenting “Pacific Overtures.” Yet the show’s audiences ready for an “inventive, powerful, educational and surprisingly humorous theatrical experience” will witness the fruits of their dilemma.
Kunoichi Productions’ “Pacific Overtures” continues through June 15, 2025 at Brava Theater, 2781 24th St., San Francisco. Tickets are $28.75-$79.75 at brava.org.
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