Why I walked out of SOUTH PACIFIC

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 4:54pm

Let me preface this post by saying that I saw SOUTH PACIFIC for the first time on February 25th with Kelli and Paulo intact. Ask any of my friends and they'll tell you that I've been raving about it ever since and have been trying to find the time to make a return visit. Despite my initial dislike for the casting of Laura Osnes, I put aside my worries and decided to go in with an open mind after seeing the pictures of her in costume and hearing some fairly good things.

My rush seat was front row loge, house right. The overture started and, yet again, I felt overwhelmed by how beautiful the score is. Then... the actual show began. On top of the fact that Laura and David have not a single ounce of chemistry, he looks like he could be her father. Creepy. Also, he seems to be a) walking around with a stick up his a** and b) sleepwalking. And both his singing and speaking voice sound like a hybrid of Freddy Krueger and Sylvester Stallone. Laura's accent was either atrocious or non-existent. In and out of both. And she played Nellie far too young (not just age-wise, but in terms of innocence). I will give her the vocals though. Perhaps they're a little too sweet, but it's certainly as clear and smooth and lovely as I had heard. But man, is she all wrong for the part. Then, there's Andrew Samonsky. Good Lord. How that man made it into this production is just... beyond me. It boggles my mind. His performance is one of the worst I've ever seen. Anywhere. Not just on Broadway. His singing voice also just doesn't match his speaking voice or his character (or lack thereof). In short, I didn't care the LEAST bit about any of their characters. (The only things I truly liked about the rest of the act were the original cast members and Laura's rendition of "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy.")

By the time intermission rolled around, I realized there was no point in my staying. I didn't care about anything that was happening. My mind wandered constantly and all I kept thinking was "My God. This act is dragging on forever." Therefore, I stood up and walked out at intermission and didn't think twice. Thankfully, I saw most of the original cast already because I would have seriously questioned why it won Best Revival. The orchestra, set, lights, costumes, and a couple of the performances were as good as when I saw it a month ago, but there is something very vital missing now: the heart. It's what makes the production so completely ravishing. When you lose the core of the show, it all kind of falls apart.

If everything got better in Act Two, then I'm an idiot for leaving. But I just couldn't bring myself to sit through anymore. I was bored senseless. And loge seats? Not as good as I thought they would be. I preferred sitting in the orchestra. But it was more than fine for $20. Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait until October to see this absolutely stunning revival again when it's actually stunning.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 5:21pm

I knew they had a rush policy, but they actually have tickets now to sell for rush?

[TalkinLoud]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 5:34pm

I was thinking about going to see this again, but looks like I will wait for the fall.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 5:38pm

So sad, indeed. I simply LOVED the revival: WITH the original cast.

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

[siny]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 5:50pm

That's exactly what I had posted earlier - that the story was seriously dragging and that I was bored out of my mind and then everyone jumped in saying how wonderful the show is, so I felt that maybe I have ADD or something. That was my first time seeing it and I was seriously disappointed. I had nothing to compare it to, so the singing and the acting seemed OK to me. And how old is Nellie supposed to be ? Her b/f is supposed to be much older than her, so why is it creepy ?

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 8:26pm

He's supposed to be in his early 40s. But he seemed and looked much older. And she didn't look much older than 18-20. It didn't help that there seemed to be no apparent reason why they were in love. It just seemed creepy to me. Maybe it's because he's older than Paulo and she's younger than Kelli and I saw Kelli and Paulo first. But it just seemed way too creepy to me.
Updated On: 3/25/09 at 08:26 PM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 9:16pm

How was Loretta Ables-Sayre? Is she still with the show?
How disappointing. Laura Osnes said that the producers and director didn't expect to cast someone so young for the role and apparently she read with David and they thought she looked fine. I've seen pictures of him and she definitely looks like she could be his daughter, that wouldn't mean much if they had chemistry though, I take it they don't.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 9:23pm

ray, Osnes read with Paulo Szot before she was cast, not David Pittsinger.

She hadn't ever met Pittsinger until the week before her first performance when they both came together to rehearse on the Beaumont stage.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 9:25pm

Ahh, that makes a lot more sense. I remembered the article incorrectly. Thanks for pointing that out, somethingwicked. Well, there you have it.
How long is she going to perform with Pittsinger?

BTW, that is probably the most beautiful picture of Ms.Richardson that I've seen.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 9:36pm

I believe Paulo is coming back mid-April

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:11pm

Dear ColorTheHouse,

Kindly post the names and addresses of your friends. I'l like to contact them and learn whether you REALLY were raving about "South Pacific".

Thank you very much.

[omguguyz]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:22pm

he raved
trust me
he raved on and on and on and on, as if he was going to marry it

just believe him, ok?

[wonkit]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:24pm

Reality check from me - I saw Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot twice last spring, once in April and again in May. I enjoyed both performances but at the second performance I found the first act to be very long and my mind wandered a lot. I think once the uniqueness of finally seeing a full live production of this musical is gone, the flaws tend to dominate. That first act made the second act of Wagner's Walkure seem bouncy. I haven't seen Osnes or Pittsinger but just my observation on a disappointing return visit to SP.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:50pm

"Let me preface this post by saying that I saw SOUTH PACIFIC for the first time on February 25th with Kelli and Paulo intact."

I had presumed Paulo was intact all along.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:51pm

Excellent. What this thread needed was a good foreskin threadjack.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:51pm

The show, for everyone proclaiming it a classic, is an incredibly dated, wandering bore.

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 12:19am

ray-andallthatjazz86, Loretta was as good as ever. She's hysterical and "Bali H'ai" was excellent.

And David had been in the show for a brief period prior to this, so was just saying I saw the show once Paulo had come back and before he left again.

And TRUST me, I couldn't have said better things about this production. Minus Andrew Samonsky. I loved this production the first time I saw it. And it wasn't disenchantment that affected my enjoyment. I enjoyed every scene without the three actors I mentioned. But that's essentially the entire show.

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 9:09am

Wow, that's a shame to hear. It's also disappointing to hear that Bartlett Sher didn't have Osnes read with Pitzinger before casting her. A strong, believable chemistry between Nellie and Emile is vital to the production working. Yes, there is supposed to be an age difference between them, but it should not look like father and daughter. Kelli and Paulo were perfect. I'm glad to hear that Loretta is still divine as ever. I adored her, Danny Burstein, and Matthew Morrison's performances as much as I did Kelli and Paulo's. It's too bad to hear the Cable replacement isn't competent in the role.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 10:42am

I thought Morrison was bland in the role. Nice voice but...eh.

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 10:54am

Wow that's is such a shame that the production has gone very down hill with the departure of O'Hara, Szot, and Morrison. I mean they are big shoes to fill but it sounds like all the replacements are very off.

I would be interested to see Osnes with Szot when he comes back since that is who she read with. Maybe their chemistry will be much better and it won't seem so father/daughter (which by the way, ick.)

Color: I am curious, some people who have seen Osnes say she was trying to do a carbon copy of O'Hara's portrayal. Did you find that to be the case or is she trying to make it her own at this point?

[Mistress_Spouzic]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 11:49am

sad... it was a great show when I saw it, but that was with the original cast... and LCT always nails the production values thats no surprise.

[nealb1]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 12:33pm

Remember everyone, this is just one person's opinion - it's not the law or fact. You can have 20 people wathching the show, and get 20 different takes on it.

And, the review starts off by saying that he dislikes Laura. Yes, he says that we went with an open mind, but come on.....how can you do that when you've all ready decided that she's not going to be good. Updated On: 3/26/09 at 12:33 PM

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 2:18pm

I do dislike Laura. But I based that on one crappy show in one crappy performance and have since heard great things about other things she has done. And she was cast in ALNM after all. I figured she had to be doing SOMEthing right. So, I did go in with a completely open mind, expecting to be proved wrong about her. I was not. Like you said, nealb1, it IS only my opinion. Everyone should feel free to go ahead and judge for themselves. It is still a beautiful production. My opinion was that I would wait until Kelli and possibly Paulo are back.

hmpeterson - It SEEMED like she was trying to imitate Kelli, but they're so drastically different that it just seemed totally off. She was saying she was this ignorant hick, but she looked like she was raised in a big white house with a picket fence by a family who liked to go yachting every summer. She was too refined or something. Something very vital was missing from her performance that Kelli absolutely nailed.

[jennamajig]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 2:38pm

I still need to see this production, but Kelli or no Kelli, I hadn't gone yet because of my dislike of the actual show itself. I did a production in high school and thought several parts just dragged on and on (Act 1 is way too long IMO). Yes, for the most part, a very nice score, but I thought the show needed to lose 30-45 minutes to be tightened up a bit.

That being said, I've heard so many good things about this production that I figured I would need to make space the next time I was in NYC...though I may wait for Paulo to come back at least, though (which he should be next time I can get to NYC).
Updated On: 3/26/09 at 02:38 PM

[hmpeterson]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 3:09pm

jenna: I was with you. I didn't want to see this because my only experience was a bad high school production and the movie (which I didn't like.)

But I took my mom for her 60th and I am sooooooo glad I did. I have such a new appreciation for this musical after seeing this production. Now I did see it with the original cast but this was an excellent production.

As someone who didn't like SP going into this, I highly recommend you checking it out (even if you wait until Kelli gets back in Oct.)