Haruki Fujimoto was a Japanese theatre performer and director.

Career

Born in Hiroshima

Hiroshima

is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...

, he had a career on American stages, making his Broadway debut in 1966 in the original production of It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman

It's A Bird... It's A Plane... It's Superman is a musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, with a book by David Newman and Robert Benton. It is based on the comic book character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics.-Synopsis:The plot...

directed by Harold Prince. Ten years later he returned to Broadway, reunited with Prince for the musical Pacific Overtures

Pacific Overtures

Pacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, through the lives of two friends caught in the change...

, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...

 and a book by John Weidman

John Weidman

John Weidman is an American librettist. He is the son of librettist and novelist Jerome Weidman.He has written the books for a wide variety of stage musicals, three in collaboration with Stephen Sondheim: Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show...

. Pacific Overtures used a blend of kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 and Western theatre techniques to tell the story of Japan's opening from 250 years of isolation

Black Ships

The Black Ships was the name given to Western vessels arriving in Japan in the 16th and 19th centuries.In 1543 Portuguese initiated the first contacts, establishing a trade route linking Goa to Nagasaki...

. In addition to being the kabuki consultant, dance captain, assistant to the choreographer, and playing various silent roles as a member of the company, Fujimoto played the role of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry. The role was silent, standing on stage for most of its scenes with outside sound effects used to simulate the commodore's commands, but Act I ended with a unique and rousing "Lion Dance

Lion dance

Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is often mistakenly referred to as dragon dance. An easy way to tell the difference is that a lion is operated by two people, while a dragon needs many people...

" which foreshadowed the influence of America within Japan, a key theme of the show and in Act II. Choreographed by Patricia Birch

Patricia Birch

Patricia Birch is an American choreographer and director for musical theatre and film.Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Birch began her career as a dancer in Broadway musicals, including Brigadoon, Goldilocks, and West Side Story . She has directed and choreographed music videos for Cyndi Lauper, the...

 with dance music by Daniel Troob, the Lion Dance received mentions in two reviews by the New York Times; both the mixed review from Clive Barnes

Clive Barnes

Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...

 and the negative review from Walter Kerr

Walter Kerr

For the RN admiral see Lord Walter KerrWalter Francis Kerr was an American writer and Broadway theater critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals.-Biography:...

. The dance was enough to earn Fujimoto a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical

The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...

, being the only performer from the show to earn a nomination (two other actors, Mako Iwamatsu and Isao Sato were nominated for Tony Awards). He lost to George Rose

George Rose (actor)

\...

 for his performance in a revival of My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady

My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...

. Fujimoto has no other known credits, but can still be seen as the cover art for the original cast album of Pacific Overtures.