The Menier Chocolate Factory in London has revealed casting for its revival of Stephen Sondheim musical Pacific Overtures.
Sondheim’s rarely staged musical is playing at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 25 November 2023 to 24 February 2024.
The show will star Jon Chew (Anything Goes) as the Reciter, Kanako Nakano (My Neighbour Totoro) as Tamate, Saori Oda (The King and I) as Shogun/Madam, Takuro Ohno (The Phantom of the Opera) as Kayama, and Joaquin Pedro Valdes (Death Note The Musical, Then, Now & Next) as Manjiro.
The cast will also feature Luoran Ding, Masashi Fujimoto, Rachel Hayne Picar, Eu Jin Hwang, Abel Law, Ethan Le Phong, JoJo Meredith, Patrick Munday, Sario Solomon, Joy Tan, Lee V G and Iverson Yabu.
Directed by Matthew White, Pacific Overtures is co-produced by the Menier Chocolate Factory and Japan’s Umeda Arts Theater, who already premiered the production in Japan.
The wider creative team includes choreography by Ashley Nottingham, set design by Paul Farnsworth, costume design by Ayako Maeda, sound design by Gregory Clarke, musical supervision by Catherine Jayes, orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, musical direction by Paul Bogaev, hair and makeup design by Wakana Yoshihara, and cultural consultant You-Ri Yamanaka.
Pacific Overtures has music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, with a book by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler.
Set in 19th-century Japan, Pacific Overtures follows the arrival of the West to Japan as seen through the western perspective but played in an eastern style. The score is filled with some of Sondheim’s most ravishing music, including ‘Someone in a Tree’, ‘Pretty Lady’ and ‘A Bowler Hat’.
Currently playing at the Menier Chocolate Factory is Close-up – The Twiggy Musical, until 18 November 2023.
Book tickets to Pacific Overtures at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London
More about the cast of Pacific Overtures
Jon Chew plays the Reciter. His theare work includes The Good Person of Szechwan (Lyric Hammersmith /Sheffield Theatres), Anything Goes (Barbican), Unity (1918) (Actor’s Studio), Asian Pirate Musical (Vaults Festival), Wild Goose Dreams (Ustinov Theatre, Bath Theatre Royal), Forgotten (Arcola Theatre), The King and I (London Palladium), and The Bee(Theatresause). For television, his work includes EastEnders, Three-Body Problem, The Great, The First Team, and Anything Goes and The King and I: From the London Palladium; and for film, Robin and the Hood; and The Wayback.
Kanako Nakano plays Tamate. Her theatre work includes My Neighbour Totoro (RSC/Barbican), A Chorus Line (Curve Leicester), White Pearl (Royal Court Theatre), Miss Saigon (Prince Edward Theatre, UK tour), Kiki’s Delivery Service (Southwark Playhouse), West Side Story (Grange Park Opera), and Priscilla Queen of the Desert (UK tour). Her television work includes Secret Invasion and Peep Show; and for film, People Just Do Nothing.
Saori Oda plays Shogun/Madam. Her theatre work includes Galaxy Train (Théatre Lapis), The Phantom of the Opera, The King and I (West End, UK tour), Avenue Q (UK and Ireland tour), Carousel (ENO), Miss Saigon (Prince Edward Theatre), and The Lion King (Lyceum Theatre); and for film, The Bryanston.
Takuro Ohno plays Kayama. He will be making his UK stage debut in this production. He has recently played the title role in The Phantom of the Opera in Japan and has appeared in many Japanese films and television shows.
Joaquin Pedro Valdes plays Manjiro. His theatre work includes Death Note (London Palladium), Then, Now & Next (Southwark Playhouse), Killing the Cat (Riverside Studios), The Lion King (UK and Ireland tour), Heathers the Musical (The Other Palace), Vanara the Legend (Hackney Empire), Miss Saigon, The King and I (UK and International tour), Fanny and Stella the Musical (The Garden Theatre), Matilda, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Red and The Last 5 Years (Manila Metropolitan Theatre).
Related News
Rules for surviving the woods, from the cast of Into the Woods: Stay fed and keep your eyes open
Neil Morrissey joins Ria Jones and Sally Ann Triplett in Fourteen Again at the Menier Chocolate Factory
Into the Woods reviews: critics agree the West End transfer keeps its magic
See newly released production images as Into the Woods casts its spell on the West End
Latest News
Everything you need to know about The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal in London
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
What to expect from Pride the Musical ahead of highly anticipated transfer to the Bridge Theatre
