'South Pacific' by Rogers and Hammerstein is one of my favourite musicals but I'd only seen one production of it, the Lincoln Centre production that I saw in New York in 2010. I fell in love with that production and bought the cast recording. I saw it on the evening of snowmageddon, so while we were in the tropics in the theatre the city was covered in deep snow.
That production came over for a season at the Barbican before going on tour so I saw it several times and thoroughly enjoyed it. Chichester Festival Theatre announced in 2019 it would stage a new version in 2020 with Julian Ovenden as Emile and I, naturally, bought tickets. Then everything stopped because of the virus. Enterprisingly, Chichester broadcast a recording of the production so I saw it online and later announced it would play over the summer 2022 in Sadler's Wells before going on tour, so I got tickets.
It's the old, old story of boy meets girl, boy loses girl and then boy get's the girl back. It's set on a south Pacific island during the Second World War with America at war with Japan. It opens with the ending of a party held by one of the French plantation owners, Emile du Becque, and we meet his special guest, the American nurse Ensign Nellie Forbush. We follow the twists and turns of their romance and then after another party Nellie finds out that Emile has two children from his previous marriage to his indiginous wife and she breaks it off. In a sub-plot we see that a young lieutenant Cable falls in love with Liat on the fabled island of Bali Ha'i. but he can't marry her because she's indiginous. Emile subsequently volunteers to spy on the Japanese with the lieutenant, both facing almost certain death. I'll leave it there.
There's a lot more going on in this show with Bloody Mary making money selling local crafts to the USA navy, Seabee Luther Billis, the eternal chancer, also trying to make money in any way he can and has a crush on Nellie, Cable's background at home where he's expected to join the family firm of lawyers and, of course, the racism that bubbles just under the surface and becomes blatant with Nellie's reaction to Emile's children and Cable's refusal to marry Liat, Bloody Mary's daughter.
As soon as you hear the start of the overture you know you're in for a treat with lush music and beautiful songs, like 'Some Enchanted Evening', 'There is Nothin' Like A Dame', 'Younger Than Springtime' and the heartbreaking 'This Nearly Was Mine'. 'You've Got To Be Carefully Taught' is a powerful song about the racism Cable feels, knowing it's wrong but unable to overcome his feelings. He speaks for Nellie too.
I liked how this production gives the Cable/Liat sub-plot more prominence by having Liat on stage a lot more. She both opens and closes the show with her dancing as well as the Bali Ha'i sequence. After her gentle dance at the start we're thrown into war with a dozen marines coming down ropes out of nowhere and onto the stage, spotlit and running round to set the scene before we head into the island's hills to meet Emile and Nellie. It was a surprise opening but worked really well, reminding us that everything we're going to see is happening against a background of war.
I loved this production. Directed by Daniel Evans, set designed by Peter McKintosh, choreography by Ann Yee and music directed by Cat Beverage with her live orchestra. Julian Ovenden was great as Emile and I loved that he sang in his French accent. Julian has a really powerful voice and I first heard him in 'Grand Hotel' nearly 20 years ago. Nellie was played by Gina Beck who also has a lovely voice and a steady southern American accent. Joanna Ampil played Bloody Mary and she gave us a lovely, evocative version of 'Happy Talk'. Rob Houchen was OK as Cable but lacked oomph. Dougie McMeekin was OK as Billis but seemed a bit too young for the part. I really liked the grace and moves of Sera Maehara as Liat.
Daniel Evans does good work. I first saw him as an actor along with Julian Ovenden in 'Grand Hotel' at the Donmar Warehouse and then in other productions, including playing the lead in 'Sunday in the Park with Georges' in both London and New York and I saw both. He then became artistic director at Sheffield Crucible Theatre and then at Chichester. I wonder what his next move will be? As for Mr Ovenden, he has a great voice and stage presence and should do more musicals (the good ones, obviously). The show is now on tour so go and see it - you won't regret it.
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