Finally Saw "South Pacific"

What a wonderful evening at the theater! I made it to the theater with not a minute to spare. i sat down in my seat and the orchestra began. (I had trouble getting my ticket, and getting to theater, etc, but I'm glad I didn't give up and finally made it). I didn't realize Matthew Morrison had already left the company, and his replacement was my only qualm with the casting. Somsky (the replacement) just didn't bring any life to the role. I'm not sure how new he is, but I just found his scenes to be rather boring. He has a pretty enough singing voice, but nothing spectacular. He looks the part, however. The production values are what I expected. It was beautiful to watch, and everyone sounded amazing. I was just in awe of Kelli O'Hara; she was phenomenal. I actually preferred her performance over Ms. Lupones, but I guess what's done is done. It was just amazing to watch how she embodied the character and made her jump off the page. I could see the lines how they were written and then could see what she had one with them. Paul Szot was wonderful as well. He had such a great presence about him, and a wonderful, commanding voice.

I do have a few questions though, mostly practical, and not really related to the actual show. First, why does the stage floor have those odd triangles cut out of them? I thought maybe its so the actors can see that is where the stage floor that moves is, but isn't it always like that? Or does the stage always have the capacity to move, it just doesn't for every production? I was actually surprised at how tiny the Beaumont was. It looked bigger on television! My other question is, as I was reading Lortta Ables Sayre's bio, that she played Effie in the Hawaii version of "Dreamgirls." Now, does anyone else find that odd? Hm.

And man, that stage is massive. It's huge! I would have loved to see Piazza there live, or Coast of Utopia, but oh well.

On a side note, has anyone seen Saturn Returns? The poster was really intriguing.

I hope we helped with your finding the theater!

And that stage has so much technical flexibility, it is really quite cleverly designed.

Listen, WannaBe, create your own thread for your thoughts on Saturn Returns. :-p

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WannaBe, do you ever stop pimping obscure off-Broadway shows?

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Oh, well is he worth seeing?


And thanks Foster, I probably will go see it. One of the things I enjoy most about seeing a show is seeing the theater space, I'm a totally geek, I know.

And I just find it out since the whole show - Dreamgirls - is about race pretty much? I mean, I guess they could sway it to where it is still about race, just a different one?

RentBoy86, I'm glad you really enjoyed. And I actually preferred Kelli over Patti as well. Oops.

~Steven

I pretty much agree with you, RentBoy. You're not alone! :)

~Steven

I agree. There is one big difference between LuPone and O'Hara's performance. LuPone gave a STAR performance. Kelli's wasn't a star performance, her acting was fantastic, but she didn't have a star presence.

Kelli had a beautifully quiet take on Nellie. You were with her each step of the way: you're giddy when she's giddy and you're heartbroken when she's heartbroken, and you can even understand why she rejects Emile at the end of the first act. It is a performance that I will always remember. I think the key to Rose is that you have to know she's a tough cookie but understand she's also extremely vulnerable. Maybe Patti's performance left me cold because the entrance applause and standing ovations were automatic instead of earned. My favorite Patti scene was the dressing room scene with Laura Benanti, but it was probably because Laura Benanti was a wonderful scene partner. But really, nothing else really resonated with me after I saw Patti. Which is why I prefer Kelli's performance.

~Steven

Exactly. I came away from "Gypsy" thinking "so what?" but I left South Pacific and I wanted to go back in line and get tickets again! I didn't find Lupone to have a "star presence." Sure, she commands the stage, but that's not bringing anything new to the role. That's what the role is. I didn't see Lupone acting. Half the time she was just spouting out lines at such a high speed I didn't know what she was saying. She wasn't telling me the story, and for an audience that's the most important part.

I agree with jewishboy as well. it was never...unpleasant to watch Kelli O'Hara as Nellie, but it took until the end of Act I for me to be really impressed. her voice is, without a doubt, absolutely gorgeous, but there wasn't always much else there for me.

I was much more impressed with Jenna Russell than I was with Ms. O'Hara, although [not surprisingly], I found LuPone to be the best of a very good season.

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If he's gone for an extended period of time, then I think they just put his replacement in as a current cast member. It's easier and less fuss.

I wonder if they'll tour this production? It doesn't seem that costly to tour since all the set pieces are rolled on and off, and the stage could easily be adapted for proscenium.