2001 SOUTH PACIFIC TV Movie w/ Glenn Close - Brilliant!- Page 2

[jimnysf]

Posted: 7/16/06 at 10:35pm

It was my first exposure to the show as well so I didn't think it was all that bad. Since seeing it, I've seen the national tour that came around a few years ago and the PBS concert version. I plan to see the original film next month in San Francisco.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 7/17/06 at 5:52am

I had less a problem with Close as Nellie (they wisely never mentioned her age) than I had with Rade Sherbedgia whom I thought terrible as DeBeque and lacking the singing voice and the suave manner required. Te actress playing Bloody Mary totally lacked the mystery of the character but Connick was actually quite good.

The way the script was re-arranged made it much more cinematic (though making the familiar tune stack into something wildly different) but many f the changes worked.

Mary Martin had star magic and a quality on stage that was unique. She made you believe she was a 12-year-old boy (when in her 40s) and a virginal postulant at 47! (Look at pics of her on the SOUND OF MUSIC cast album: She is way too old. Even her voice sounds matronly, but the spirit comes through.) Glenn Close does not have that magic touch and while her performance is thoughtful, a younger actress would have brought more youthful exuberance to the part.

I agree the concert (with an heavily edited text) is much better performed. (Again, Reba is too old for the role but that matters less in a concert.)

[hushpuppy]

Posted: 7/17/06 at 10:08am

As I age ungracefully into old geezerhood, I would be remiss if I didn't express surprise that so many of our young people out there seem to be unfamiliar with any version of SOUTH PACIFIC other than the TV version. Many years ago, as a little Theatre Queen in training, I used to ride my bicycle to the library to check-out records (huh?) of all the OBC recordings that came before me. A familiarity with OBC recordings of shows like GYPSY, HELLO, DOLLY!, MAME, and OKLAHOMA! should be mandatory before one is allowed to weigh-in on a subsequent movie or televison production. Now, where did I put my teeth? Is it time for the early-bird special yet?

[lucyjessie]

Posted: 7/17/06 at 11:05am

hush puppy, i completely agree (and now i feel very old...)

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/17/06 at 11:10am

I got as far as Bloody Mary and couldn't watch any more. I love the original film version, however.

[Roninjoey]

Posted: 7/17/06 at 2:38pm

Well, I, personally, have never been a huge fan of Mary Martin. Ever since I was a little kid I used to wonder why this 50 year old woman who sounded like my grandmother was playing these young roles. I can't even listen to her in "The Sound of Music". So whatever magic quality she has, the only time I was ever fooled was when I saw Peter Pan (and I still used to wonder why they had a 50 year old woman playing a little boy). Maybe it was different to actually see her.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 7/17/06 at 3:04pm

hushpuppy,

I, too, grew up on going to the lirbary and checking out cassettes (huh?) and CDs of Broadway cast recordings. Except, in my case, it wasn't classics from Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, etc. It was Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim, Alan Menken, etc.

Saddens me that kids today haven't seen ASSASSINS just like it saddens you that I haven't seen SOUTH PACIFIC. At least the original productions, anyway.