The glorious original Broadway cast album may
still have an edge because of the 22 piece orchestra of the legendary 1976
production, but this
beautifully executed package capturing the 2004 revival of one of Sondheim's
most ambitious and certainly unique scores has pleasures that can't be had in
that older recording. For one thing, it has new orchestrations by the
original orchestrator, Jonathan Tunick, who is well known for the treatment
he has provided for so many Sondheim scores. It
also has the prologue, four scenes that have underscoring and the
instrumental "March to the Treaty House" which aren't on the
original recording. It also has a bonus track, a
pre-production recording of Stephen Sondheim (with producer/director Harold
Prince) singing a song that was subsequently cut from the production. |
Storyline: The story of the opening of Japan
to western influences is told through the perspective of the Japanese. In
the first act the court of the Shogun reacts to the arrival of the American
flotilla under Commodore Matthew Perry in 1853, the first contact with the
west after centuries during which it had been forbidden for any foreigners
to step foot on the soil of "the floating kingdom." But Perry was not to be
denied and contact began. The second act details the rapid influx of western
influences as the British, French, Dutch and Russians join the Americans in
trade with Japan. It culminates with Japan’s progress as a "western" power
in the modern age.Sondheim's score
is never less than fascinating, ranging from exquisite haiku-like gems to
eye-opening examinations of the reactions of the Japanese population to the
appearance of Commodore Perry's ships on the horizon, and from story telling
marvels like "A Bowler Hat" and "Someone in a Tree" to its marvelous comic
crowd-pleaser "Please Hello!" Both musically and lyrically it is
distinctive, intelligent, challenging and rewarding.
The new orchestrations convert the sound of
the show from big, full, lush and impressive to small, intimate, precise and
impressive. In the theater, Paul Gemignani conducted the seven member
orchestra placed in the boxes in front of the proscenium - five on one side,
two on the other. That gave a feeling of being surrounded by the
intentionally Asian sound of the music. Unfortunately, the sound of the
seven seemed tinny and thin, especially for those used to the original.
Record producer Tommy Krasker made the proper decision when he brought the
cast and the seven instrumentalists into the studio. He augmented the
orchestra with four additional players. The booklet doesn't reveal which
instruments these four played, but the sound is no longer
thin nor tinny, but still retains the intimacy and precision that mark the
new orchestrations.
The cast of the revival includes B.D. Wong
giving a new interpretation to the part of the storytelling "Reciter," an
interpretation that seems in balance with the reduced size of the
production. Alvin Y. F. Ing is compelling as he returns to the role of
the Shogun's Mother which he played in the original production 28 years ago.
The real strength of the cast is the pair of young men, Michael K. Lee and
Paolo Montalban, who are at the center of the story. They are both fine
singers and fine actors as their two characters take reverse paths, one
becoming more eastern and one more western, until they have all but switched
personas.
For the record: The revival opened on
December 2, 2004 at Studio 54, 254 West 54th Street in New York City after
24 previews. It closed January 30, 2005 after 69 regular performances. It
was nominated for Tony Awards for Best Revival of a Musical, Best
Orchestrations, Best Scenic Design and Best Costume Design. It did not win
any.
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