Shawn Jean-Louis—- Review of South Pacific: EXTRA CREDIT

November 3, 2008 · Posted in Face of the Other · Comment 

South Pacific is an energetic musical by Rogers and Hammerstein that is set during World War II with two romantic love stories at its heart. The original Broadway Production ran from April 7, 1949 to January 16, 1954 with 1,925 performances being put on. There were even two movie versions of the play made, one was the 1958 cinematic version and the other was a heavily criticized made for television film which came out in 2001. The romance of nurse Nellie Forbush and rich Frenchman Emile Debecque as well as that of Lt. Joe Cable and native girl Liat are simply captivating. The way they intertwine cohesively with the war setting, yet neither the war nor the romance detract from the other’s significance is marvelous. Lively musical scores such as “Honey Bun”, “There is Nothing Like a Dame”, and “I’m gonna wash that man rite outta my hair” as well as the graceful “Some Enchanted Evening” and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy” help to make the show quite the spectacle. The Lincoln Center revival I saw was quite fascinating and brought the script to life in a way that I thought was riveting and entertaining.
The audience in the proscenium watching South Pacific that evening was great. They laughed when they were supposed to, were touched when they were supposed 2 be, and cheered loudly after every musical score. They really gave the actors a mood to work with that undoubtedly made their job on stage easier to an extent. It takes a load off of an actor’s shoulders when the audience is responding positively to what is going on onstage. My attendance at Lincoln Center on October 6 was only the second time I had experienced a live production as an audience member and I am very happy with the way it turned out. I was totally in sync with everybody in attendance, it was clear they were enjoying the show and so was I. As I sat there and watched the show, although everybody there was a stranger to me, I got a sense of family for the three hours the show was going on. That sense of togetherness regarding what was going on onstage was just that strong
I was amazed by both the acting and directing of the show I went to see. The casting for the show was obviously very good, the casting directors made some great choices. The actors onstage were absolutely phenomenal, one of the reasons I was so enthralled by the show was because they made their characters so real and believable. The traditional American way of acting was executed to its fullest potential that night. I think the highlights of the evening were the singing of “Some enchanted Evening” by Paulo Szot (Emile DeBecque) and the hilarity of Danny Burstein (Luther Billis). I even recognized one of the actors from television, which was a nice surprise; I wasn’t expecting that to occur. All of the performers were very energetic, which kept the audience alive and interested. However, the great acting in the show was definitely partially due to the high quality directing. A good director is crucial to an actor’s work, they help the actors develop their character and makes sure they get the best work out the performers. The show was definitely interesting because of the cohesive nature with which it was put together and that can only come from good direction.
Having read the script and actually performed the play myself, I thought I had I general idea of what I was going to see on the night of the show. However, despite that fact, I was still blown away by the performance. The text was executed masterfully onstage and far surpassed any expectations I had. As for the set design, it was definitely in sync with show all night. The environment the actors were in matched and worked with what they were doing and mood of every scene. This is a key factor because even if the acting is superb if the set design is poor it can take the audiences attention away from the performers and detract immensely from the quality of the show. However, there was no such problem in South Pacific.
As you can see I have nothing but praise for the revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center, it is a great show. The only thing I would have changed would probably be to make the chorus a little bigger just to get more of a military feeling, I also feel a bigger chorus would have added to the scene when the soldiers are sitting around a stage themselves watching a performance (when “Honey Bun” is sang). Other than that I definitely give the show two thumbs up, it’s a peck of fun!!!!!!!!!

Tags: no tags