BWW Reviews: An Enchanting, Must-See Production of SOUTH PACIFIC

If you love Broadway musicals you must see the national tour of South Pacific currently running at the Hobby Center.  Even if you have seen South Pacific before, or if you happen to not be a Rogers and Hammerstein fan, you need to see this show.  The performances delivered by Rod Gilfry, as the French plantation owner Emile de Becque, and Carmen Cusack, as the loveable Navy nurse Nellie Forbush, are so remarkable they alone make this a must-see production for any Broadway fan who can appreciate a phenomenal performance of a quality score.

However, for his sake, this is not a show you should drag your husband to.  The nearly three-hour production is classic Broadway with old-fashioned sounding music and a simple, straight forward plot about putting love above everything else in the world.

As South Pacific begins, U.S. Navy nurse Ensign Nellie Forbush has just fallen in love with Emile de Becque on a remote island during WWII.  Lieutenant Joe Cable (Anderson Davis) arrives to the island with orders to travel to a nearby Japanese island and report on enemy ship movements after enlisting the assistance of Emile to exploit his knowledge of the local channels.

Before his spy mission starts, Cable is convinced to travel to the nearby island of Bali Ha'i by a native trinket peddler known as Bloody Mary (Keala Settle), and the unofficial leader of the sailors, Luther Billis (Matthew Saldivar) - both of whom are acting for selfish purposes.     

Cable eventually falls in love with Bali Ha'i native, Liat, but has reservations regarding race.   To her horror, Nellie discovers Emile is a widower of a native island woman and has fathered to two dark-skinned children.  Blinded by their upbringing, Cable and Nellie struggle to overcome their prejudice in order to find love. 

Houston native Carmen Cusack is the gem of this production embracing Nellie's spunk in a lovable portrayal of the southern ingénue.  Cusack has mastered the subtle "hick" accent which is present throughout both lines and lyrics but is never overdone.  She also adds just enough scoups to her melodies to let Nellie's personality shine through.  Having spent most of her career in London, Cusack has starred in West End productions of Les Misérables as Fantine and Christine in the UK National Tour of Phantom of the Opera.  She also previously toured the U.S. as Elphaba in Wicked.

Gilfry's phenomenal operatic, baritone voice will melt your heart, especially during "Some Enchanted Evening."  He protrays Emile with a perfect balance of French aristocrat sophistication and the carefree nature of a man deeply in love.  The Grammy-nominated singer has created leading roles in five major operas, most notably Andrés Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire.  His operatic style creates a fantastic contrast with Cusack's tone to further convey the cultural differences between Nellie and Emille.  Together their charismatic performance will leave you rooting for this unlikely couple.

Unfortunately Davis does not rise up to the incredible performances of Gilfry and Cusack.  Even though he plays an uptight Marine, his portrayal lacks emotion and energy.   There is no passion in his scenes with Liat and when Emile initially refuses to assist with his spy mission, his response of frustration and anger is dull and unbelievable.  Davis, however, is musically a joy to listen to and he delivers a beautiful rendition of "Younger than Springtime."

Other notable performances are delivered by Settle and Saldivar who provide much of the comedic relief throughout the show.  Settle's "Bali Ha'i" is hauntingly beautiful and the brilliant melody invokes a tropical island feel.  I was slightly annoyed the large letters spelling "Billis" on the back of Saldivar's costumes.  Even though he wears sailor attire very similar to the majority of the male chorus, Saldivar's strong, charismatic performance allows him to stand out without the unnecessary, silly labels.

This is a lavish production with 34 cast members and a stunning set that will make you yearn for the blue waters of the south Pacific.  The orchestrations for this performance are the original orchestral parts that were played in the Majestic Theatre in 1949.  The score was restored by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization and the full, 26-member orchestra is the largest orchestra of any touring Broadway production.  Anything less would not do justice to this masterful work.

The original Broadway production of South Pacific was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won all them including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Libretto.  It is also the only musical production to ever win all four Tony Awards for acting.  The Tony award-winning 2008 Broadway Revival is scheduled to close on August 22, 2010 after 37 previews and 1,000 regular performances.

South Pacific runs at the Hobby Center from March 9-21.  Tickets are available on-line at www.tuts.com, by phone at 713-558-TUTS (8887), outside the Houston area at 888-558-3882, or in person at the Theatre Under the Stars Box Office (800 Bagby at Walker, Mon-Fri 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sat-Sun 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.).  An audio described performance is available Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 2 p.m. and open captioning is available the same day at the 7:30 p.m. performance. 

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