PACIFIC OVERTURES Extends at East West Players Through Early December

East West Players has extended its revival of the acclaimed Tony-nominated musical Pacific Overtures. This current production was originally set to close December 1, but will now perform through December 8, 2024.

In addition to the previously scheduled performances of Pacific Overtures, East West Players adds the following performances to the production’s run: Thursday, December 5 at 8 PM, Friday, December 6 at 8 PM, Saturday, December 7 at 2 PM, Saturday, December 7 at 8 PM, and Sunday, December 8 at 5 PM.

This production of Pacific Overtures continues the theater’s long-standing relationship with the work of Stephen Sondheim. After performing in the 1976 Broadway production of Pacific Overtures, EWP’s founding Artistic Director Mako brought the show to California in 1978, where he directed and reprised his Tony-nominated role as The Reciter. At the time, Sondheim not only gave Mako permission to produce the show but also facilitated the donation of several set pieces from the original Broadway production to EWP, which were utilized in other Japanese-style sets for many years. This is the tenth Sondheim production that Dang has helmed, including the 1998 revival at EWP that inaugurated the David Henry Hwang Theater. In total East West Players has put on 13 Sondheim productions, with our 2022 performance of Assassins being the latest.

“I'm so grateful that Pacific Overtures is the show that starts my tenure at East West Players,” says Artistic Director Lily Tung Crystal. “It’s an incredible opportunity to collaborate with the inimitable Tim Dang and these wonderful artists, as well as honor past productions of this show, which are so important to East West Players’ history. Thank you to the entire Pacific Overtures company, the EWP staff and board, and the community for supporting this production and this exciting time in our theater’s evolution.”

Jon Jon Briones and Gedde Watanabe lead Pacific Overtures’ cast. Briones plays The Reciter, a role originated by Mako on Broadway, and Watanabe plays the Shogun’s Mother/Old Man, having previously played the role of The Boy/Kanagawa Girl/Priest on Broadway. This is Watanabe’s return to Pacific Overtures after 48 years. This show also marks a reunion for Briones and Watanabe, who both performed in Dang’s final show as EWP artistic director, La Cage aux Folles, in 2016. Briones is known for his roles as Hermes in Hadestown and The Engineer in Miss Saigon on Broadway and The West End and the Ryan Murphy-developed limited series Ratched on Netflix. Watanabe is known for his film, television, and stage roles and is a long-time EWP alum, having been a part of the casts of Ixnay, Assassins, and La Cage aux Folles.

The cast of Pacific Overtures also includes Kerry K. Carnahan* as Lorde Abe, Sittichai Chaiyahat* as the Warrior, Kit DeZolt as Commodore Perry, Adam Kaokept* as Manjiro, Kurt Kanazawa* as the Fisherman, Nina Kasuya* as the Dutch Admiral, Aric Martin as the Madam and French Admiral, Ashley En-Fu Matthews* as Tamate, Brian Kim McCormick* as Kayama, Gemma Pedersen as the American Admiral/Boy, Norge Yip as the Russian Admiral with Jordan Fan and Jonah Meyer as understudies.

The creative team includes direction by Tim Dang^, musical direction by Marc Macalintal, choreography by Yuka Takara, Kabuki consulting and choreography by Kirk Kanesaka aka Gankyō Nakamura, Japanese music direction by Shih-wei Wu and Tsugaru Terry, scenic design by Tesshi Nakagawa†, costume design by Naomi Yoshida, lighting design by Brian Gale†, audio design by Cricket Myers†, projections design by David Murakami†, properties design by Glenn Michael Baker, make-up and hair design by Yoko Haitz, fight choreography by Amanda Noriko Newman, assistant music direction by Miki Yokomizu, assistant costume design by J.J. Javier, assistant projections design by Sam Clevenger. Pacific Overtures is stage-managed by Edward Khris Fernandez* with Mikayla Bettner* and Bonnie Lynn Montano acting as Assistant Stage Managers.

Pacific Overtures will also feature musicians Philip Moore on reeds, Richie Francisco on trumpet, May Zeng on trombone, Brian Paul Benning and Peter Marcos on violin, Rebecca Yeh on cello, and Kyle Dombroski on percussion.

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