Reviewed by Judy Richter
There's no doubt that "South
Pacific,"
based on James A. Michener's novel "Tales of the South Pacific," is one of the greatest
entries in the American musical theater canon. Premiering on Broadway in 1949,
it boasted a score by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Hammerstein and Joshua
Logan, and stage
direction by Logan. It went on to win nine Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize
and later became a staple of regional community theater. It never was revived
on Broadway until Bartlett Sher directed it to seven Tonys for 2008. Now the Lincoln
Center Theater production
has hit the road and landed in San Francisco.
Set
on two South Pacific islands during World War II, most of the action takes
place on one island with a Navy Seabee base and Emile de Becque's plantation.
The romance between Emile, a Frenchman, and Navy Ensign Nellie Forbush takes
center stage, with a secondary romance between Lt. Joseph Cable and a Tonkinese
native, Liat (the doll-like Sumie Maeda), daughter of the lusty Bloody Mary.
The
show is like a veritable hit parade with such classics as "Some
Enchanted Evening,"
"Bali Ha'i,"
"There Is Nothin' Like a Dame," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My
Hair,"
"A Wonderful Guy," "Younger Than Springtime," "This Nearly Was
Mine" and
others. It's hard to resist the temptation to hum along. This touring
production is notable for outstanding singing by such performers as operatic
baritone Rod Gilfry as Emile, Carmen Cusack as Nellie, Keala Settle as Bloody Mary and Anderson
Davis as Lt.
Cable.
The
music is enhanced by Robert Russell Bennett's lush scoring for full
orchestra (led by music director Ted Sperling). This production restores some
material that was cut from the original or subsequent productions. Thus it has
a somewhat darker tone than some versions because it more directly confronts
the issue of racism. For example, when Nellie learns that the two dark-skinned
children at Emile's plantation are his children by his deceased native wife,
her first reaction to the shock is to say, "Colored," then to leave
as quickly as possible. Lt. Cable, though clearly enchanted with Liat, says he
can't marry her because of what people back home might say.
Although
most of the acting is quite good, Cusack's Nellie is a bit problematic, perhaps
because Mary Martin in the original production and Mitzi Gaynor in the 1958 film put such a perky
stamp on the character. Cusack is cooler and more sophisticated despite
Nellie's protestations that she's just a hick from Little Rock, Ark. This
Nellie isn't a hick, more like part of the Little Rock country club set or Junior
League.
Catherine
Zuber's costumes
work well for the men and the islanders, but they're too glamorous for Nellie
and her fellow nurses, who are stationed on a hot tropical island during a war.
The most glaring example comes when the Navy contingent prepares to go off to
fight the Japanese, and the nurses go along in their white dress Navy uniforms
and high heels. Is that really what they expected to wear when they tended to
the wounded? And the women's seamless stockings are an anachronism.
Michael
Yeargan's spare
set works well for the most part, but the blinds that define some scenes move
in the breeze and cast distracting reflections. They also allow patrons in some
seats to see people moving in the wings. On the other hand, Donald Holder's lighting helps to create
moods, especially impressive for "Bali Ha'i." The sound is by Scott
Lehrer. The
musical staging is by Christopher Gattelli.
Despite
some quibbles with the costumes and set, this production succeeds because of
the music and the book. And though both may be familiar to many patrons, the
opening night audience was filled with young people who may have been getting
their first taste of this type of beauty. One hopes it whets their appetite for
more.
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