Yes, DistantDrumming, that was me. I've always thought the original Asian-American cast of ''Pacific Overtures'' never got the credit or due they deserve. Even in Craig Zadan's superb book "Sondheim & Co.,'' he seemed to include interviews with cast members from every Sondheim show, except ''Pacific Overtures.'' ... "And though [the creators] have their own official version,'' I thought: ''What a shame that there is no authentic Asian-American account of what took place on that historic [show].'' So I tracked down Mako, Soon-Tek Oh and Sab Shimono for their oral history.
My article ran in the Spring 1988 issue of The Sondheim Review: Actors Remember 'Pacific Overtures.' For a long time, my story was readily available online, but in recent years, I've had trouble accessing it and get: ''Your connection is not private.'' (Huh?) If you Google, maybe you'll have better luck. Meantime, another site devoted to Mako has featured my interview with him (but not included my chats with Soon-Tek or Sab).
P.S. There's a typo in my Mako interview. I quoted him as saying he lost the Tony to Stanley Holloway, but he actually meant George Rose. |
