South Pacific National Tour
Rodgers and Hammerstein only get better with age. In this age of screechy rock musicals it is like getting into a hot tub and getting a massage to hear a Rodgers and Hammerstein score. The older I get the more I am glad they ever existed. They set the stage, literally for the modern musical. They wrote beautiful music that furthered the story and had social relevance. Such a musical is South Pacific currently gracing the Ahmanson stage. The production was all the rage in New York, desperate for a musical hit, While the touring production couldn’t match the Vivian Beaumont as a space, with the sets looking less than fantastic on the flat Ahmanson proscenium, nevertheless the [production shone through and will undoubtedly be the hit of the season in Los Angeles. The cast was first rate and in some cases may have equaled or surpassed the New York cast. Despite the sets flatness, the sets by Michael Yeargan had a certain magic in the use of the purple tinged sunsets as seen through a series of huge shuttered panels. Of course the music was glorious but Bartlet Sher direction and the brilliant musical staging by Christopher Gattelli seemed fresh and alive.
The cast was fantastic lead by a remarkable Carmen Cusack as Nellie Forbush. She looked the part and more importantly acted and sang, putting her own memorable stamp on the role. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. She made me laugh and cry. She was helped by The Emile de Becque of local favorite Rodney Gilfry who was deeply moving in all his songs and in particular “This Nearly Was Mine”. He made me cry too. Anderson Davis and Sumie Maeda were the young lovers. Davis has a beautiful sweet voice, perfect for cable. Matthew Saldivar was a very funny yet touching Billis. I even liked “Honey Bun” which has never been my favorite song. Keala Settle was a superb and different Bloody Mary. She wasn’t cute but she was funny with her cynical line readings and her desperation to find a soldier for her daughter. She played Bloody Mary in not the best of health so her urgency was quite telling.
I think South Pacific holds a very special place in my heart. It was after all of my parent’s era, a celebration, of sorts, or the greatest generation. Every time I see South Pacific I feel like I have been privileged to share in a time my parents knew and survived as victors. Inspiring then ands now that we still find ourselves fighting two wars. I have only one caveat and that is the sound mix in the Ahmanson. The speakers made the music sound canned at times. Thank God for the voices. South Pacific will be docked at the Ahmanson until July 17th. See it!