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Pacific Overtures (Theatre)
- 329 statements
- 64 feature instances
- 20 referencing feature instances
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) | type |
TVTItem | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) | label |
Pacific Overtures (Theatre) | |
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PacificOvertures | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) | comment |
Pacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, with additional material from Hugh Wheeler. It tells the story of Japanese westernisation in the 19th century, focused partly through the lives of young samurai Kayama and fisherman Manjiro. The style of the show is a mix of Japanese theatrical traditions and Broadway conventions; the conceit of the show's style is that it might have been written by a Japanese who has been exposed to a lot of American musicals.The play begins with the reciter commenting on Japan's peaceful and unchanging way of life. However, President Fillmore wishes to trade with the Japanese, and thus sends warships to the shores of Okinawa. The Americans arrive, give generous donations and leave. This paves the road to more and more trade with foreign powers, resulting in Japan becoming more and more western. Eventually, the Emperor Meiji decides to seize control and officially modernise Japan.The show opened to mixed reviews and is very rarely performed (mostly due to its unconventional, experimental nature, and the requirement of a large cast of Asian men) but is considered one of Sondheim's most underrated works. Also, like so many of Sondheim's works, it was filmed for TV (and broadcast to NHK, Japan's national TV channel) in 1976. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) | fetched |
2023-12-05T05:15:53Z | |
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2023-12-05T05:15:53Z | |
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Dropped link to PatterSong: Not a Feature - ITEM | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7 | type |
Does This Remind You of Anything? | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_14ed6ab7 | comment |
Does This Remind You of Anything?: As mentioned under Anachronism Stew, the use of the word détente brings to mind the U.S./Soviet détente, still in effect at the time of the show's debut. The scene where Jonathan Goble (played by the Reciter in a cowboy hat and Texas accent) demonstrates the rickshaw evokes Honest John's Dealership, with Goble acting like a car salesman as he lists the rickshaw's "features." | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_15b2cab3 | type |
Tempting Fate | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_15b2cab3 | comment |
Tempting Fate: After the Americans leave, seemingly forever, Lord Abe gloats "Goodbye Americans! Come back in 250 years!" Cue the American Admiral (and more) parading before Abe. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_1ccad9a3 | type |
Villain Song | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_1ccad9a3 | comment |
Villain Song: "Please Hello" functions as one for the Western powers as a whole, at least from the Shogun's perspective. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_222dc873 | type |
Black Comedy | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_222dc873 | comment |
Black Comedy: Much of the humor, particularly the sequence where a Shogun's mother poisons her son with tea because she's sick of his inactivity against the American fleet. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_237404cc | type |
Ironic Echo | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_237404cc | comment |
Ironic Echo: The bowler hat that once symbolized the cutting edge of fashion and modernity becomes, by the end of its titular song, a way to mock the Dutch ambassador, who still wears one even after several years pass. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_259d5879 | type |
Anachronism Stew | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_259d5879 | comment |
Anachronism Stew: Some of the Admirals use the musical styles of composers who weren't yet active during this time period, and the final section, "It's Détente!" uses a diplomatic term that didn't exist at the time but was much in the news during the Cold War. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_2d88e42c | type |
Gender Bender | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_2d88e42c | comment |
Gender Bender: Following Kabuki tradition, all womens' parts are played by men at the start of the play. The female cast members gradually start to appear in Act 2, to signal Japan's new era. Some productions, like the 2004 Broadway revival, are more lenient, however. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_2d88e42c | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_2f72ded5 | type |
Husky Russkie | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_2f72ded5 | comment |
Husky Russkie: The Russian Admiral. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_3318a1cb | type |
Distant Finale | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_3318a1cb | comment |
Distant Finale: The final song "Next" fast-forwards from the late 1860s right up to the present day, to show what has become of Japan's modernisation and opening up to the West. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_35b241c0 | type |
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_35b241c0 | comment |
Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: On the OBC recording, the three cockney sailors (portrayed by Asian American actors) singing "Pretty Lady". Perhaps justified, because all portrayals of Westerners in the show are meant to be grotesques. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_40cc0c7e | type |
Bittersweet Ending | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_40cc0c7e | comment |
Bittersweet Ending: Japan springs, thriving into the twentieth century, but at the cost of centuries of culture. In the end, Kayama is slain by Manjiro, the former friends having totally reversed their respective views on westerners and industrialization over the course of Act 2. Though Manjiro, and the Lords of the South succeed overthrowing the Shogunate, and reinstating the Emperor, their goal of driving out the foreigners and their influence on Japan is unsuccessful. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_434d893c | type |
Funny Foreigner | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_434d893c | comment |
Funny Foreigner | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_492cb33a | type |
Setting Introduction Song | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_492cb33a | comment |
Setting Introduction Song: "The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea" introduces us to life in Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate, as it was before Admiral Perry arrived. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_4cb4c540 | type |
Land of Tulips and Windmills | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_4cb4c540 | comment |
Land of Tulips and Windmills: Invoked nearly by name in the Dutch Admiral's verse. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_5313c266 | type |
Bookends | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_5313c266 | comment |
Book Ends: The reciter opens and closes the show with the line "Nippon: The Floating Kingdom", showing how much the nation has changed over the course of the play. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_537dd8fe | type |
Affably Evil | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_537dd8fe | comment |
Affably Evil: The Admirals in "Please Hello" all come bearing gifts under the guise of wanting to trade with Japan, except they also make increasingly grand demands and drop ominous hints about their warships (the Russian Admiral is more Faux Affably Evil, playing into Husky Russkie stereotypes). Since we're talking about actual history, the "evil" part is of course debatable, but they are at least shown to have ulterior motives and be somewhat duplicitous. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_5a100b90 | type |
Puppet King | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_5a100b90 | comment |
Puppet King: Emperor of Japan, when the real power was wielded by the Shogun, is literally played by a Bunraku puppet. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_60a66fb1 | type |
Head-Tiltingly Kinky | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_60a66fb1 | comment |
Head-Tiltingly Kinky: Whatever erotic acts are being depicted on the fans that the Madam shows to her trainee concubines in "Welcome to Kanagawa": | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59 | type |
The Reveal | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59 | comment |
The Reveal: A minor one at the end of "Chrysanthemum Tea". The Shogun's Mother has been poisoning the Shogun with said tea. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6b2b3b59 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6ce0245d | type |
Promoted to Scapegoat | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6ce0245d | comment |
Promoted to Scapegoat: Poor Kayama. The Shogun's councillors appoint him Prefect of Police of Uraga ... in order to lumber him with the impossible task of turning away the American warships. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6d332aea | type |
Driven to Suicide | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_6d332aea | comment |
Driven to Suicide: Tamate. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_70bdac19 | type |
Honest John's Dealership | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_70bdac19 | comment |
The scene where Jonathan Goble (played by the Reciter in a cowboy hat and Texas accent) demonstrates the rickshaw evokes Honest John's Dealership, with Goble acting like a car salesman as he lists the rickshaw's "features." | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_75196a1d | type |
Translation by Volume | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_75196a1d | comment |
Translation by Volume: the Act 1 scene beneath the bow of Admiral Perry's ship. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_7a265daa | type |
Eagleland | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_7a265daa | comment |
Eagleland: Strictly Type B (or the 19th Century equivalent); the Americans are portrayed as loud, boorish, ignorant, aggressive barbarians. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_7a265daa | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8a6d2168 | type |
Beat Them at Their Own Game | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8a6d2168 | comment |
Beat Them at Their Own Game: At the end of the play, Japan stops trying to resist Western influence and instead vows to out-do the West as a major imperial / industrial power. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8ae880f7 | type |
Deconstruction | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8ae880f7 | comment |
Deconstruction: Of the sort of East-meets-West story best represented by The King and I. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8cb01d0e | type |
Category Traitor | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8cb01d0e | comment |
Category Traitor: Manjiro accuses Kayama of being this at the end of the play, when the latter has become used to Western luxuries and has stopped trying to defend his own country's traditions. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8ccfcf8e | type |
Horny Sailors | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_8ccfcf8e | comment |
Horny Sailors: There's a whole song about young prostitutes being trained to appeal to sailors, as well as a trio in which three English sailors hunger for a young Japanese woman they glimpse in a garden ("I've sailed the world for you..."). | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_950bbfa7 | type |
Take a Third Option | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_950bbfa7 | comment |
Take a Third Option: If the Americans are allowed to land, they will violate Japan's most sacred laws; if they aren't allowed to land, they will open fire on Uraga. Kayama and Manjiro's solution is to receive the Americans at Kanagawa, a cove small enough for the beach to be covered with mats, so that no foreigner actually sets foot on Japanese soil. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9af42bed | type |
Appeal to Tradition | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9af42bed | comment |
Appeal to Tradition: Deconstructed. It is precisely Japan's clinging to ancient traditions that makes it so vulnerable to the militarised Western powers which are forcing it to modernise. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9af42bed | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9d12bbc1 | type |
Foreshadowing | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9d12bbc1 | comment |
Foreshadowing: In "Chrysanthemum Tea", when the Shogun's Mother casually mentions that the Shogun had his own father strangled. It explains why she, in turn, has been poisoning him with the tea. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9f5df7a6 | type |
Geisha | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9f5df7a6 | comment |
Geisha: The common Western misunderstanding that geisha are some kind of prostitute forms the basis of a song, "Pretty Lady". | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9f5df7a6 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9f6fb586 | type |
Leitmotif | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_9f6fb586 | comment |
Leitmotif: Sondheim's first major use of the technique in one of his Broadway scores. There are distinct recurring motifs that are used to represent Japanese prayer, the four black gunships, the Americans, the haiku, and the negotiations between Japan and the West, to name but a few. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a188ac4b | type |
Overly Long Gag | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a188ac4b | comment |
Overly-Long Gag: "Don't touch the coat!" | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a3c0c1df | type |
Dance Party Ending | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a3c0c1df | comment |
Dance Party Ending: The ending song Next has all the characters dancing around wildly, presumably because they're so happy about Japan becoming an economic powerhouse. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a4905771 | type |
Double-Meaning Title | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a4905771 | comment |
Double-Meaning Title: "Pacific" (the ocean and the adjective) and "Overture" (the diplomatic approach and the musical form). The phrase was taken from a letter written by Admiral Perry. Notably, this pun also works in Japanese - The word "Taihei" means peaceful or tranquil, but can also refer to the Pacific ocean. | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a4c37cbe | type |
Mood Whiplash | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_a4c37cbe | comment |
Mood Whiplash: Kayama and Manjiro sing a light-hearted, friendly duet as they travel together. Then Kayama arrives home and discovers his wife has committed suicide in his absence. Then the Madam and her girls enter and sing the slyly dirty song "Welcome to Kanagawa". | |
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| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_aabe2fb | type |
Deliberate Values Dissonance | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_aabe2fb | comment |
Deliberate Values Dissonance: Being that it portrays traditional Japanese culture, these are brought up intentionally. "...Women being praised... somewhere out there, not here" This is, indeed, the main source of the show's complexity—it does not try to pretend that Japan was a perfect, idealized culture ravaged by the evils of European imperialism, but rather presents a more ambivalent, ambiguous, and textured interpretation of historical events. It is a story about how the Western powers essentially bullied Japan into their brand of modernization, and it is also a story about the Japanese empire being punished for having the hubris to believe it could continue to exist without deigning to interact with other, "lesser" cultures. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_aabe2fb | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_abad35b4 | type |
Soundtrack Dissonance | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_abad35b4 | comment |
Soundtrack Dissonance: "Pretty Lady" is the most beautiful song in the show, but it's sung by three British sailors who are trying to pressure a young Japanese girl into having sex with them. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_abad35b4 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_abad35b4 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | type |
Deadpan Snarker | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | comment |
Deadpan Snarker: The Reciter, at times. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ae3d6438 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59 | type |
Opening Chorus | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59 | comment |
Opening Chorus: "The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea". | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_b7a18b59 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bbfaa837 | type |
Knight Templar | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bbfaa837 | comment |
Knight Templar: Manjiro and the Lords of the South. They are determined to free Japan of Westerners and their collaborators at any cost. The Emperor eventually has to rein them in. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bbfaa837 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bbfaa837 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bc74ef27 | type |
Berserk Button | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bc74ef27 | comment |
Berserk Button: "Don't touch the coat!" | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bc74ef27 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_bc74ef27 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c091ce5f | type |
Samurai | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c091ce5f | comment |
Samurai: Both Kayama and (later on) Manjiro hold this rank. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c091ce5f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c091ce5f | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c3d6c819 | type |
Counterpoint Duet | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c3d6c819 | comment |
Counterpoint Duet: The climax of "Please Hello" is an impressively chaotic counterpoint quintet, as each of the five Admirals overwhelm poor Abe with their simultaneous demands. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c3d6c819 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c3d6c819 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: In the opening, the Reciter sings of far off lands where, among other things, women are being praised, which is arguably a Shout-Out to "In Praise of Women" from Sondheim's previous musical A Little Night Music. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c75df49a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c75df49a | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c89f0472 | type |
Troperiffic | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c89f0472 | comment |
Troperiffic: "Please Hello" tries to utilize as many Western tropes as it can to make it stand out in the otherwise Eastern show. The number alone includes: American Accents: The American Admiral is expected to give an exaggerated one, usually a Southern accent. Anachronism Stew: Some of the Admirals use the musical styles of composers who weren't yet active during this time period, and the final section, "It's Détente!" uses a diplomatic term that didn't exist at the time but was much in the news during the Cold War. Berserk Button: "Don't touch the coat!" Camp: The admirals act like this to clash with the secluded dignity of the Japanese. Engrish: Inverted. While the Japanese characters all speak in elegant, formalized King's English throughout, the foreign admirals in this song (except, for some reason, the British admiral) speak in a pidgin form of their native language for comic effect. Funny Foreigner Husky Russkie: The Russian Admiral. Land of Tulips and Windmills: Invoked nearly by name in the Dutch Admiral's verse. Musical Pastiche: Each Admiral has very stereotypical music, like the French Admiral's operetta galop and the American's Sousa-style march. Overly-Long Gag: "Don't touch the coat!" Patter Song: The British Admiral's part. Shown Their Work: The whole show can be credited with this (despite a few intentional deviations from fact, esp. the murder in "Chrysanthemum Tea"), but "Please Hello" deserves special mention for being completely historically accurate in the order of the ambassadors' arrivals and in the specifics of each country's demands. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c89f0472 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_c89f0472 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb092754 | type |
Musical Pastiche | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb092754 | comment |
Musical Pastiche: Each Admiral has very stereotypical music, like the French Admiral's operetta galop and the American's Sousa-style march. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb092754 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb092754 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb7fda55 | type |
Minor Character, Major Song | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb7fda55 | comment |
Minor Character, Major Song: Most of the score, because while it does have a plot, the show is more of a historical revue than a traditional book musical. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb7fda55 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_cb7fda55 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d27b7c1a | type |
Duet of Differences | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d27b7c1a | comment |
Duet of Differences: A beautiful and creative example in "Poems", where Kayama and Manjiro take it in turns to compose short poems in praise of their greatest loves - for Kayama, his wife Tamate (and the traditional Japan she represents); for Manjiro, America (and the modernisation it represents). Also doubles as a Friendship Song, as the two of them bond over the exchange of ideas. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d27b7c1a | featureApplicability |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d27b7c1a | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d3427b48 | type |
Yamato Nadeshiko | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d3427b48 | comment |
Yamato Nadeshiko: Tamate (even though she is traditionally portrayed by a man). She reappears as a symbol of this during the finale, "Next". | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d3427b48 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d7c3ba61 | type |
Race Lift | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d7c3ba61 | comment |
Race Lift: Both ways. Traditionally, all roles in the show, even the Western characters are played by actors of Asian descent. When the English National Opera performed and recorded it, however... | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d7c3ba61 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_d7c3ba61 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e540d1e6 | type |
Camp | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e540d1e6 | comment |
Camp: The admirals act like this to clash with the secluded dignity of the Japanese. | |
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1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e540d1e6 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e5421161 | type |
Expy | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e5421161 | comment |
Expy: The British Admiral's verse of "Please Hello" is a deliberate nod to "The Major-General's Song" from The Pirates of Penzance. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e5421161 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e6a901a3 | type |
Meaningful Rename | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e6a901a3 | comment |
Meaningful Rename: The Reciter's final line: | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e6a901a3 | featureApplicability |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e6a901a3 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e92dcbb5 | type |
Flaunting Your Fleets | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e92dcbb5 | comment |
Flaunting Your Fleets: "Please Hello" (though the actual fleets are offstage). | |
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1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e92dcbb5 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f | type |
Exact Words | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f | comment |
Exact Words: The sacred laws forbid any foreigners from "setting foot on Japanese soil". The shogunate preserve Japanese honour by having the Americans walk on grass mats covering the ground. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_e9e35e8f | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ec800a8b | type |
Kabuki Theatre | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ec800a8b | comment |
Kabuki Theatre: The original Broadway production 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. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ec800a8b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ec800a8b | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_eee69e44 | type |
Boke and Tsukkomi Routine | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_eee69e44 | comment |
Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: The madame is the tsukkomi to one of the prostitutes, the boke. She messes up all her attempts at seduction, earning her a whack from the madame's fan. | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_eee69e44 | featureApplicability |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_eee69e44 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_f1007689 | type |
"I Am Becoming" Song | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_f1007689 | comment |
"I Am Becoming" Song: "A Bowler Hat" follows Kayama (and, by proxy, Japan) as he slowly grows more and more acclimated to Western customs. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_f1007689 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_f1d38725 | type |
Engrish | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_f1d38725 | comment |
Engrish: Inverted. While the Japanese characters all speak in elegant, formalized King's English throughout, the foreign admirals in this song (except, for some reason, the British admiral) speak in a pidgin form of their native language for comic effect. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_f1d38725 | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_fc39769d | type |
Gunboat Diplomacy | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_fc39769d | comment |
Gunboat Diplomacy: The musical! | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_fc39769d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_fc39769d | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ffad4e9f | type |
Shown Their Work | |
| Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ffad4e9f | comment |
Shown Their Work: The whole show can be credited with this (despite a few intentional deviations from fact, esp. the murder in "Chrysanthemum Tea"), but "Please Hello" deserves special mention for being completely historically accurate in the order of the ambassadors' arrivals and in the specifics of each country's demands. | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_ffad4e9f | |
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ItemName | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) / int_name | |
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Pacific Overtures (Theatre) |
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