South Pacific
November 7, 2007
Sunderland Empire Nov 6th-10th and tour
Taking the stories of a Pulitzer Prize winning author James Michener and turning them into a musical may not seem to be the most thrilling subject to base a show on but who can argue with the longevity of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific .
This show is a crowd pleaser and therefore often revived by amateur operatic companies, but it is too long since the last major professional production toured , starring Gemma Craven as Nellie and Beatrice Reading as Bloody Mary.
With a score littered with classic show tunes this musical cannot fail, numbers include, I’m Going to Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair, Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime and There’s Nothing Like A Dame.
The chorus work extremely hard, but on the vast Empire stage the dance routines do seem slightly lost at times. Bloody Mary, the larger than life character who wheels and deals with the sailors is brilliantly brought to life by Shiela Francisco, who is reprising her role having been hand picked by Trevor Nunn for the National Theatre production of the show.
Set on a south sea island during World War 2, we meet sailors and nurses servicing their country in a paradise setting. Emile de Becque (Dave Willetts best known for taking over the role of the Phantom of the Opera from Michael Crawford) lives on the island with his two children, having left France after killing a man. When he meets nurse, Nellie Forbush (Helena Blackman, runner up in the TV show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?) he is instantly attracted her, regardless of their age difference.
But as in all good stories , the course of true love does not run smoothly and Nellie is requested to find out all she can about Emile for Captain Brackett (David Alcock), as there is the possibility he may have to assist with an American mission against the Japanese.
With him on this mission is Lt Cable (Ian Mclarnon) an officer drafted to the island to find out about Japanese movements in the area. But before his mission starts he meets and falls in love with Liat (Kanako Nakano) daughter of Bloody Mary, who he has met while on a trip to the nearby mysterious island of Bali Ha’i.
Despite his love for Liat he will not agree to marry her and secretly he leaves with Emilie to report on the movements of the Japanese. But tragedy strikes and only Emile returns.
The set design by Charles Camm is clever and functional , swiftly and effectively moving the action between scenes. While director Julian Woolford stops the action at times allowing the songs their rightful place as the actors are allowed to stand an deliver the lyrics, proving less is more.
While this is predominately a love story, there is an obvious lack of chemistry between our two leads and no matter how hard Blackman works she fails to make us understand why she has fallen in love with Emile. This is through no fault of her own as she gives us 100% at all times, and she is very reminiscent of Mary Martin, the shows original star, just the pairing of her and Willetts does not seem to gel. In fact she makes you realise that these much maligned TV reality shows can discover hidden talent and allow someone an opportunity they deserve.
Regrettably as this relationship fails to convince, it leaves you questioning the other characters and in the end you fail to be moved when Lt Cable is killed.
While there is no doubting this musical is now dated, like most other Rodgers and Hammerstein shows, I am glad to say the director has resisted any temptation to update it or meddling with the story in anyway. But with a score as strong as this he does not need to, as to have the opportunity to hear them again, as they were intended, in a revival of the show is an opportunity too goo to miss.
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