East West Players, the nation's leading Asian-American theatre company, is presenting the Los Angeles premiere of Stephen Sondheim's Tony-winning 1994 musical Passion, continuing the group's fortuitous long-term relationship with the revered songwriter. The Sondheim connection traces back to 1976, when EWP's previous artistic director, Mako, played in the original Broadway production of Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.
Sondheim is a longtime supporter of EWP, having served on its advisory board for several years, and he still continues as a donor. This has given the company an edge in obtaining the often hard-to-get licensing rights for his musicals. Tim Dang, EWP's artistic director since 1994, staged Sweeney Todd during his first season with the group and has subsequently staged many Sondheim tuners, ranging from Pacific Overtures to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
Dang views Passion as a formidable challenge for theatre artists and audiences alike. "This music is very difficult to sing," he said. "The show is by no means a conventional Broadway musical. The audiences will not leave whistling the tunes. Those expecting elaborate scenery and big dance numbers will instead find a highly reflective piece that explores the darker side of humanity. It could almost be called a chamber opera. There are no actual endings to the songs; they just flow along with the dialogue. The play ponders the nature of different kinds of love, from innocent love to adulterous love to obsessive love."
The story, set in Italy in 1863, charts a relationship among a dashing young Army captain, his unhappily married mistress, and a sickly, unattractive spinster desperate to gain the captain's love. Said Dang, "The play causes viewers to take a hard look at their personal emotions and attitudes about love. On the surface, one might view this a Beauty and the Beast story, but the themes run much deeper."
One issue might provide an especially strong challenge for EWP's regular patrons. Dang plans to retain the nudity in the opening number, which was included in the original Broadway version but not in subsequent major productions, such as in Washington D.C. and London. "Sondheim thought the nudity was germane and very important," said Dang. "We will do it because its shows a different side of love you don't ordinarily see in musical theatre. We expect it will make some of our audience uncomfortable. I hope they stay for the show; it occurs right at the top. We want to retain the integrity of Sondheim's artistic intent, and if you think about it, what does it say about your relationship with life, your own take on love, if this makes you uncomfortable? This will also help prepare our audiences for a later show in our season, M Butterfly, in which a woman undresses and you see that 'she' is really a man. In the Asian-American culture, men are usually seen as non-sexual beings, so we are pushing the envelope with this."
Color-blind casting is another challenge in EWP productions. Though Dang points out that non-Asian onstage and offstage theatre artists also work with the group, the majority of participants are of Asian descent. An Equity group since the company moved to its 240-seat theatre in Little Tokyo in 1998, EWP casts all shows via open auditions. The Broadway premiere of Passion followed the American convention of casting shows that take place in foreign locales without concern for ethnic accuracy or dialects. The entire Passion cast is Asian American, filling the roles of the three principals and members of the Italian Army. Dang noted one of the many minor tweaks to the material that sometimes need to be made: "In Sweeney Todd, the text describes Joanna's hair as yellow, and Sondheim suggested we change it to raven."
Yet he was quick to point out that he is ensuring a faithful rendition. He explained, "Since many here will see this show for the first time, we want to remain completely true to its intentions. At times, we have played with shows, such as Forum or Little Shop of Horrors, which we set in Chinatown, because they've been done a zillion times. But with this premiere we feel a responsibility to make no changes." The musical was previously presented in a concert staging in Pasadena by the Musical Theatre Guild, but the EWP version is the first full mounting in the L.A. area.
He added that his annual musicals have been extremely well received by his regular patrons. Besides the Sondheim offerings, he has staged other popular shows such as Cabaret and even originals such as Bejing Spring. This time he's thrilled to be offering his audiences a musical that's far more intelligent than most. "We spent a lot of rehearsal time sitting around talking about the complex themes and characters," he said. "People expecting spectacle or lightness will instead have to carefully listen and observe."
—Les Spindle
"Passion," will be presented by East West Players at the David Henry Hwang Theatre at the Union Center for the Arts, 120 Judge John Aliso St., Downtown L.A. Thurs.-Fri. 8 p.m., Sat. 2 & 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. Sept. 10-Oct. 5. $23-68. (213) 625-7000, ext. 20.