Live from the Lincoln Center Discussion Thread — Page 11

I agree about "Happy Talk". I never cared for the song until seeing it on the live performance. Now, I've been singing it to myself for days and "I can't get it out of my mind". Sadly, the number was cut entirely from the Glenn Close film version for TV which I didn't care for anyway. Glenn Close, although a good actress, was not right as Nellie.

Just a few more thoughts having watched bits of it again ...

Kelli O'Hara really is the glue that holds this together. There's not a false note in her acting (or singing). I wouldn't even call this a drawback necessarily in today's amplified theatre world, but I kinda wish her voice was a little more powerful. Still, it's an absolutely beautiful voice, and she moves so seamlessly between the spoken word and song. She's a real treasure in this.

I loved Paulo Szot, but occasionally both his acting and singing bordered on forced (but never actually got there). And several of his dramatic scenes were terrific.

Still, for me, the night belonged to Kelli.

I have not warmed up to Lieutenant Cardboard at all. He really is almost comical in the role, sadly. His voice is good, but I've heard the songs sung better. And quite often actually. I agree with whoever said he reminded them of one of the princes in "Into the Woods." He has that over-the-top, Robert Westenberg delivery and posturing. He'd be fine singing "Agony," and we'd all love his caricature of a storybook prince. But Cable? Shouldn't be played that way at all.

I also agree with the Bert Lahr comparison for Danny Burstein. And I'd love to see Danny in a Lahr bio-musical. He would be brilliant.

---

By the way, who is that chorus girl who looks exactly like a 1930s Ann Miller. Wow, that was freaky! She's a spitting image.

---

I had a teacher that once compared Bloody Mary to Mother Courage, but never fully made the connection myself until I saw Loretta Ables Sayre in the role.

---

yeah i did South Pacific back in 1996 when I was a senior in high school and we did the Honey Bun reprise

anyway... just watched the production... i'm upset that I don't have HD anymore so I was stuck watching it in standard and i was annoyed that they didn't widescreen it so i was stuck with a bunch of cut off actors on the sides! arrgh

loved the production... loved the tour and it was awesome to see how it was originally conceived with the thrust part... especially how the stage floor just moves to uncover the orchestra.. that was just freaking awesome!

and to point out what others said.. yeah danny burstein was doing some type of bert lehr acting... but either way i thought he was a perfect Billis... quite the opposite of Matthew Saldivar on tour who just didn't make Billis a likeable character

Loretta Ables Sayre.... geez I loved this woman... she made Bloody Mary so different than I've normally seen... so dark and a pimp! haha...

Andrew Samonsky... i agree with everyone... i love this dude's voice... i actually saw him in tick tick boom several years ago in LA and thought he was perfect in that show... in South Pacific... not so much... i mean he can sing but yeah his acting left much to be desired... i just didn't like his cocky walk or swagger... it felt like he was trying too hard to just act... although I found his act 2 scenes to be quite good although still lacking

loved Paulo and Kelli... plain and simple... and is it me... i've seen pictures of Paulo when he started the show... did he look like he gained some weight? just wondering... oh and the way he would sing words ending in "er" sounded weird... but whatever... love the guy's voice

damn i wish this would be put on DVD or Blu Ray!

Updated On: 8/22/10 at 04:46 AM

The Honey Bun reprise has always been in the show, as far as I know. What was so unusual and haunting about it was the staging in this revival. I've never seen it done that way before.

It's usually pretty much "thrown away" as the soldiers cross the stage ("in one" as the set is changing behind them).

There were several moments in this revival when I was reminded what good direction and thoughtful staging can do to something very familiar to me. In many ways (including this Honey Bun reprise), it was like seeing it for the first time.

EDIT: The other major instance was "Happy Talk." I've never seen it staged so darkly before, with Bloody Mary more of a scheming "pimp" than a "matchmaker." The song may be innocent, but nothing else about it is.

---

Updated On: 8/22/10 at 08:08 AM

I've only seen the show once - about twenty years ago with Howard Keel playing Emile. He sounded like Satan and at the end there was confusion among my friends because he seemed to die at the end. It was the St Louis Muny, so it was pretty much guaranteed to be terrible.

I adored the PBS Broadcast. Because I think I'm genetically predisposed to agree with the majority on virtually everything, I have to say that I liked Samonsky.

I didn't think Luther was supposed to be gay, but I do think there's a fine line between doing a thick "Noo Yawk" accident and sounding reallly queeny. The Bert Lahr comparisons are apt.

I've never seen Kelli O'Hara in anything and I found her riveting. I really thought I'd turn this on and get bored after ten minutes, but I thought it was just effing great.

Just flicking through a replay, Andrew "Blue Steel" Samonsky is driving me crazy, so distracting in an another otherwise flawless production.

While I don't mind it, I do find it funny that Paulo Szot couldn't escape the inevitable "opera singer gut". I'll still have him.

---

Even wit any added weight, I'd take Paulo Szot over any of those cookie-cutter gym rat chorus boys any day.

---

Nowhere. And I have been looking day-and-night.

---

Got a chance to watch it today after being there for the taping and I have to say that even thought there is nothing like being there, the taping was actually quite good compared to some I've seen (and it made me cry just as much) Besides which, getting to see close ups of Paulo was well worth it :)