Category — South Pacific

South Pacific is the classic romance tale. It is both triumphant and tragic. It seamlessly blends cultural differences, the stresses of war, and racism into a boundless love story. The main characters, Nellie and Emile, face the trials and tribulations of every relationship, while Lieutenant Joe Cable struggles to accept and understand the feelings in his heart. [Read more →]

Lincoln Center Theater

            On some enchanted evening, you find a musical that simply steals your heart. Its story touches upon the harsh truths of today’s society and yet it offers the hope that people can change and that true love is possible. Its music moves you emotionally to the extent that you leave the theatre singing “If you’ll excuse an expression I use. I’m in love. I’m in love. I’m in love.” This is the magic of South Pacific. [Read more →]

 From the opening line to the closing scene, South Pacific does an excellent job of making you feel as though you are witnessing actual scenes from World War II. The musical follows several lead characters and their trials and tribulations and like any good plot, the different storylines eventually converge and affect each other. The story is full of typical 1940’s style issues, there is the quintessential, simple, girl next door who is exposed to the real world, there is the loud-mouth, smart-aleck enlisted man who is always concocting a new scheme, as well as the hotshot soldier with his degree from an Ivy-League school.They each go through their own conflicts but a recurring theme is that of acceptance of others. There are several instances where prejudices get in the way of relationships and this represents a truth of American society at this time.

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Even though it is an older musical, South Pacific has themes in it that still affected the hearts of its modern audience on Thursday, August 21^st at the Lincoln Center Theater. Taking place on the Pacific islands during World War Two, the stage was set aglow with palm trees and a vibrant backdrop of the beach. The lights created a pristine setting. The acting, however, wasn’t quite as glittering. [Read more →]

Tickets for this remake of James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific have been backordered for months in anticipation of a great Broadway musical.  I think it’s safe to say every member of the audience got the “bang for their buck.”  From the opening scene, Kelli O’Hara and Paulo Szot of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” steal the show.  With a combination of superb acting and breathtaking musical numbers, the characters of Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque seem to jump off the stage and into the eyes, ears, and hearts of the audience.  It was as if O’Hara had been playing the role of this Little Rock ensign all her life.  Times of peril and love both plague and strengthen this small town girl as she battles an interior conflict of racism and discrimination.  Szot nails the role of the charming, French plantation owner with a controversial history.  This performance landed him the Tony Award for “Best Performance for a Leading Actor in a Musical.”  He brings a sense of sophistication along with an accomplished singing voice from his opera background to the already stellar group of actors and actresses.  The two characters fall head-over-heels in love with one another and the audience is thrown into a timeless romance fused with the always controversial topics of war and discrimination. [Read more →]

www.in70mm.com

There was much excitement about the reappearance of the classic musical, “South Pacific”. One may wonder why a show from so long ago would be popular in this day and age. Young and old flocked to Lincoln Center to watch this show. More than just the catchy tunes must be attracting viewers to the show sixty years later.
The scenery designed for the musical displayed skillful craftsmanship. This skill was portrayed in the scene with the captivating blue waves with islands in the distance, which created a realistic impression. The props and costumes could have used a little more oomph. The way the actors coordinate the changing of the scenes without the aid of a curtain is unique.
The musical depicts natives who have been living on islands in the South Pacific with no intruders for hundreds of years. Suddenly they find white naval officers, seabies, marines, and nurses living among them. The military men are restless because the fighting has not yet begun. [Read more →]