LCT to Produce 1st Ever South Pacific Revival- Page 4

[Ourtime992]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 12:13am

Let's go right back to my earlier assertion then, and cast Katie Clarke as Nellie and David Burnham as Cable.

[Hairspraydoll]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 12:26am

Wasn't Robert Goulet rumored to be coming to broadway in a revival of this a few years ago?

Ourtime - love the avatar....my posters will be going up in a couple weeks!

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 12:33am

In the immortal words of Balzac "pourquoi"?

Do we really need a revival of South Pacific? Yes, it's a great score but everybody has seen the movie and at least one or two productions of it...

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 12:56am

The real island SOUTH PACIFIC takes place on is Espuritu Santo off Tahiti. That's where James Michner was stationed and where he found his inspiration for the characters. On the beach there, you can actually see the tin house used by the real "Bloody Mary" as a brothel.

The people on that and other islands in that region aren't really Polynesian. They are Tonkinese. They have much darker skin than Polynesians, so the casting of African American in the roles is actually appropriate.

The other reason the roles of Mary and Liat are often cast black, is that in this day and age, it's a little more understandable for the audience to see Nellie's racism when its directed towards a race of a very obviously different skin color. Partially because so many service men returned home with Asian brides after WWII - the taboo of a white man married to a Polynesian woman has largely disappeared, while mixed black/white couples are still heavily discriminated against.


Tonkinese Couple on Espuirtu Santo Island in the South Pacific.

Updated On: 1/17/06 at 12:56 AM

[justme2]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 2:09am

"Yes, it's a great score but everybody has seen the movie and at least one or two productions of it..."

maybe YOU have been lucky enough to have seen one or two productions of it, but there are many people who have never had a chance to see this work outside of the movie. I am one of them. I am looking forward to seeing this on stage. I have no idea who is right to cast though, so I have no opinion on that.

[IssaMe]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 7:34am

Actually, the person who played Bloody Mary the most over the years wasn't black at all - she was a short, chubby, Jewish lady named Sylvia Syms (the cabaret singer, not the British actress). She did it on tour and in regional productions for many, many years - and it is a toss up as to who appeared the most in the role - Sylvia or Juanita Hall, who created the part on Broadway. Sylvia was more fun than any woman who has ever lived...EVEN when she was sometimes a pain in the butt.

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 8:35am

David Burnham as a shirtless Cable.
I am all for that.
He is actually a very charasmaic talented actor.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 12:34pm

For the role of Emile, there is a whole slew of former Javerts and Beasts to choose from - tall, handsome, middle-aged baritones - Terrence Mann, Jeff McCarthy, etc. What about Tom Hewitt? Or how about Martin Vidnovic?

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 1/17/06 at 12:52pm

That production at the Dallas Theatre Center which was rumored for a Broadway transfer about six years ago actually cast made a choice of casting an Emile who was NOT a tall, dashing romantic figure, and it was an inspired choice. I mean what 22 year old wouldn't still find George Cloony irresistable?

Emile's struggle is more pointed when you really see his insecurity over "keeping" a young, attractive nurse romantically interested.