Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on SOUTH PACIFIC (with stage door pictures)- Page 2

[aliciag]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 7:40pm

"I always have this question? Why does Bloody Mary wants Cable to marry her daughter? (almost to the point of pimp-ing her) is it bec. she views Caucasian as more superior race than Polynesian or Tonkinese? I was just bothered by her motives...Can someone light a shed on this?"

We just finished studying this text in my English class...
Bloody Mary is supposed to be a total capitalist selling grass skirts and human heads and yes, even her daughter. I think that's why she is so quick to say that the rich French planter wants to marry Liat (more money), but then when she sees that her daughter won't marry anyone but Cable you see her offer to even support them so he doesn't even have to work. So really I think she is more selling her daughter than just viewing Caucasians as superior.

I hope that makes sense... that's what I got from the show at least.

[Elphaba3]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 8:26pm

Thanks for the review. What did you think of Danny Burstein?

[jaystarr]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 9:05pm

alicia- thanks.

elphaba- I dont know. he does remind me of his Adolpho in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE specially in the one part of There's Nothing Like A Dame number.. I like his Honey BUN duet with Kelli O Hara and he is soo hilarious..he is on hawaiian drag costume.

BTW- There's like 2-3 hot cute chorus boys..one of them with dark, dark hair.. me & RyToast keep lookin at them.. and I was pointing out to him who I like ..lol!

and speaking of stage door again... WBaF pointed Matt Caplan (RENT) which is in the show too-in case you guys..dont know?

J*
Updated On: 3/16/08 at 09:05 PM

[BigFatBlonde]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 9:25pm

I don't know anything about wartime Polynesian or Tonkinese society, but I've always assumed that parents arranged marriages and choose partners based on financial considerations as much as anything else. That is why a wealthy planter would be an advantageous and reasonable choice, whether or not there was any actual "love" involved.

As aliciag correctly points out, Bloody Mary is a capitalist. With her new found financial freedom Bloody Mary can afford to marry off her daughter to a man who would make her daughter happy. She sees something in Cable and just "knows" that he and her daughter would be a good match.

The fact that Bloody Mary would consider a man outside of her race dramatically contrasts the racist mentality that Cable is wrestling with.

So I don't see it as Bloody Mary putting the white race on some superior level. I see it as part of the over-all power of love theme that runs throughout South Pacific.

As for the race issue being out dated. I can't agree. I haven't seen this production yet, but I know the show pretty well. The way Hammerstein handles the race issue is so smart and so brilliant. He doesn't make his character clear cut, easy to hate bigots...but likeable individuals struggling with what they have been taught vs what their hearts tell them is right. That dilemma is as much a part of the human condition today as it was then.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 9:55pm

Who are the two guys that are naked? They should be listed in the program. I'm all for nudity. I just don't quite understand it. Are they drying off??? I don't get it.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:00pm

I have no idea..We asked Noah Weisberg about it and he told us that they ask for volunteers who wants to do it.. We forgot to ask who are they? Matt Caplan & Nick Mayo perhaps? wishful thinking on my part! No they are not drying off. they are taking a shower and one of the army guys just open the shower stalls to embrassed them infront of the ladies and they completely run butt-naked towards the back.

J*
Updated On: 3/16/08 at 10:00 PM

[jeffrey1dog]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:30pm

Thanks Jay for another great 10/10 report on this wonderful (albeit long) production. As I recall the 1st act was even longer than 90 minutes. It had already been cut by the time I saw it last Tuesday and the intermission started at 9:45PM so it was more like 105 minutes. But regardless I pretty much agree with you on all points

And I too love the pics with Kelli O'Hara, Matthew Morrison & the wonderful Loretta Ables Sayre. Too bad Paulo Szot looked like he was being led to the torture chamber - lol.

Good job Jay. You're THE BEST

Edit: Btw - I forgot to mention it is actually a 30 piece orchestra (not 20) which accounts for the spectacular sound...
https://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=25620
The production will have musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Scott Lehrer and music direction by Ted Sperling, conducting a 30 piece orchestra performing the original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann.

Updated On: 3/16/08 at 10:30 PM

[BroadwayEnthusiast2]

Posted: 3/16/08 at 10:54pm

Great review, as always! I hope I'll get to see this.

[jaystarr]

Posted: 3/17/08 at 6:55am

Thanks for the correction, Jeffrey- I re-edit it. Youre right! Its a 30 piece orchestra.

J*
Updated On: 3/17/08 at 06:55 AM

[RyToast1]

Posted: 3/17/08 at 7:21am

Thanks for taking me Jay, I had a GREAT GREAT time!!!!!


PS-Noah said that he was for either Democratic candidate!!

[HOUFlip04]

Posted: 3/17/08 at 7:35am

You left out Victor Hawks as Stewpot in the picture with Danny Burstein and Noah Weisberg.

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 3/17/08 at 8:32am

Thanks for the report!

[jrb]

Posted: 3/17/08 at 9:00am

The two boys were Nick Mayo and Robert Lenzi.
Thanks for the review!

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 3/17/08 at 9:51am

great review!

I agree about Loretta Ables Sayre. She should get a nomination.

[Robos89]

Posted: 3/18/08 at 6:55pm

So are there plans for a recording?

[dave1606]

Posted: 3/19/08 at 1:39am

Great review as always jay! I hope i get to see this! It looks fantastic. I love kelli o hara! sigh..anyway keep up the great work and i hope that i get to see you that next time yr in the city!

[jondouglas]

Posted: 3/19/08 at 5:19pm

Thanks for the great review of the show. Can I ask a question.....when you "stage door" at the various shows, are you nervous? I would be totally a bowl of jello asking a total stranger for an autograph or to get my pic taken with them. I just couldn't do it.

More power to the people that can do it.

But, we all know that there are posters on this board who think that just because they "stage door," that they have some special connection to the actor or the show itself. And, that's sad.....and very disturbing.

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 3/20/08 at 2:59pm

Has anybody seen South Pacific from the last row Loge, center? How was it? Thanks.

[aliciag]

Posted: 3/20/08 at 4:00pm

I saw the show from the second to last row loge one second off center and I thought it was great. The theater really isn't that big so I think you'd be fine. There were a couple times when some people around me had a hard time hearing but I saw it in the first week of previews so they may have fixed that.

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/20/08 at 4:44pm

Glad you liked it--and thanks for posting the playbill too--I finally get to see genson's pic!