Depictions of Japanese Culture and Sondheim

       In 1976, Stephen Sondheim's production of Pacific Overtures graced Broadway's stage for the first time. The show is set in 1853 Japan and follows the complicated Westernization and modernization processes of Japan as told from their own view point. Overall, the play was met with both raving reviews and serious criticisms.
       Sondheim's masterpiece was the first time anyone had ever focused on non-western society on Broadway. The original production was presented in traditional Kabuki style. Men played all the parts of women and set changes were mde in full view of the audience by people dressed in black. Most importantly, however, was the fact that all Asian roles were played by Asian or Asian-American actors.
       Sondheim attempted to craete an ironic marriage between Western and Eastern idioms through its staging, storytelling techniques, and the haunting songbook. While the staging was intrinsically Kabuki, the songs were rooted in traditional American musical forms. Furthermore, the lyrics themselves attempted to purport the marriage of Western and Eastern culture by emphasizing the westernization and modernization that the Japenese were currently going through. For its time, the production was extremely progressive, one which America had not seen before. The use of traditionalized Kabuki styles and all Asian actors was truly revolutionary. Yet by todays standards, the play fails to represent anything accurate about Japanese art forms or culture at large.
       When watching the clip from the original Broadway production, it was evident to me how hegemonic and Westernized the play was. The choreography didnt resemble Japanese theatre movement in the slightest and was inherently "American." The majority of the actors, as we discussed in class, were Asian American and not Asian, further distancing the show from true Asian culture. It seemed as though the production was merely a commercially a driven exploitation of the Pacific nation used for their own economic pursuits. Looking at the overall production, their attempts to represent the play as an inherently Japenese one failed in the sense that they were no where near to reality. One could argue that such a production technique was used in order to cover their real desire for economic gain while not being overtly hegemonic and racist. An uneducated American audience regarding Japenese culture definitely lended itself to such economic motives of Sondheim.
      Today, it is clear that we have come along way since the 70's and our representations of other cultures in art form. Although continually dramatized for media affect, movies like "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "Memoirs of a Geisha" attempt to stick to more culturally accurate truths and representations. We are beginning to purport the idea of an independent and autonomous Eastern society. No longer do we (for the most part) depict a Westernizing and modernizing Japanese or Asian culture as seen in Sondheim's version. We have begun to accept their differences in culture and individuality in such a respect. American society still has a long way to go in understanding Asian culture and allowing that culture to remain culturally separate from our own. But we have definitely progressed since the already antequated times of the 70's as exemplified by Sondheim's failed depiction of Japanese culture.