SOUTH PACIFIC Casting Questions

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 6:30pm

I did a search and couldn't find an answer, so here goes: I just got home from the matinee of SOUTH PACIFIC and David Pittsinger and Laura Osnes were on. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised at how well Laura Osnes sang and acted the role of Nellie, and as much as I adore Paulo Szot, it was refreshing to hear Mr. Pittsinger's take on Emile's songs: he has a deeper and extremely resonant tone that is closer to Ezio Pinza's sound than Mr. Szot's.

Anyway, there were some folks I missed today, particularly Charlie Brady. He's my favorite seabee and he wasn't there. Is he still in the show?

And is Mr. Szot done with SP or is he scheduled to return? Thanks in advance!

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/5/09 at 10:05pm

I saw the show on Thursday night and I felt so incredibly proud of Laura. She has come so far from her reality show beginnings - she has really grown as a performer. I, also, didn't find anything weird or creepy between her and David as others have stated. She was just a young woman who was swept off her feet by an older man.

I was teary through most of the show. I'd never seen the show on stage before and hearing the music played the way it should be played - live and by a full orchestra just made my heart swell.

Paulo is returning but I don't know when.
This is the only thing I could find regarding what Paulo is, currently, up to.

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 7/6/09 at 12:43am

Paulo is on vacation for two weeks per Laura but I don't know when that started.

[wonkit]

Posted: 7/6/09 at 7:07am

Szot is singing at the MET this season. I don't have the dates at hand.

[colleen_lee]

Posted: 7/6/09 at 9:16am

Per the Lincoln Center website, Szot will be returning to South Pacific on July 14.

[frogs_fan85]

Posted: 7/6/09 at 9:23am

wonkit, Szot is going to be in the Met production of "The Nose" in March.

He'll also be performing next Monday, 7/13, at the Met's Central Park Summerstage concert. Tickets are free and you can get them at the Met box office starting at 10 AM today.

[Livewire413]

Posted: 7/7/09 at 5:36am

Did I read somewhere...maybe on her baby announcement that was posted, that Kelli O'Hara was coming back to South Pacific in October or something like that?

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/7/09 at 7:43am

She is definitely slated to return....but I thought I remember it being in September, but my memory for that kind of thing is horrid!

Eris -- I felt the same way about seeing SP the April before its Tony awards. A truly beautiful experience, I believe I called it "the closest thing to theatrical perfection" I'd ever seen. I am, however, wary of seeing it again....both because of the casting changes as well as running the risk of ruining "the magic"!

Glad to hear it is still turing heads, though!

[obsessedjb]

Posted: 7/7/09 at 8:16am

Kelli comes back the first Tuesday in October.

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/7/09 at 9:06am

I am, however, wary of seeing it again....both because of the casting changes as well as running the risk of ruining "the magic"!

Don't let the casting stop you from giving the show a second time. As I stated already I'd seen a lot of people here posting that David and Laura don't blend well together at all. And while I do wish I'd seen Paulo's Tony winning performance I can honestly say I didn't feel anything "creepy". I know I can be labeled as "biased" because I think Laura is a gem of a person but I found her performance to be wonderful. And I wouldn't say that if I didn't feel it was true. I don't post fabulous reviews of people just because I, personally, like them.

The only person that less than thrilled me was Andrew and, as the show went on, he grew on me. My only complaint was that I felt his deep voice was too forced and fake. But if that's is real voice I completely apologize. As the show went on I stopped even noticing it. So, it's not even that big of a complaint.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 7/12/09 at 12:57am

Eris, I completely agree! I too thought there was something affected about this Cable's speaking voice. It sounded as if the actor was working too hard to sound "masculine," by trying to speak in lower tones. The speaking voice was so unnatural sounding to me... The singing was OK. I still wish LCT would cast a young tenor to sing the role because after hearing Emile sing, it's a bit of a letdown to hear YOUNGER THAN SPRINGTIME sung without the resonance of a legit tenor's voice. I had the same issue with Matt Morrison's singing. (Though Morrison's speaking voice was fine to me).

But to those doubting Laura Osnes, she's wonderful. And I am by no means a fan of GREASE nor did I ever watch that TV show with which she was associated. SP is my first exposure to Laura Osnes, and it was a delight to see her and Pittsinger together. Osnes is just as good as a singer as O'Hara in this role, and I would even go so far as to say that Pittsinger is a better singer than Szot.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 7/12/09 at 1:06am

Sorry....I cannot imagine that ANYONE ccould be a BETTER singer than Szot.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 7/12/09 at 1:27am

Have you ever heard someone other than Szot sing the role of Emile DeBecque?

[Eris0303]

Posted: 7/12/09 at 1:36am

I want to make a return trip to see Paulo. I want to take my mom and younger sister to see the show. I had called my mom from the train station after seeing the show and I was still weepy and she was astonished by my reaction. She knew that this had never happened to me and wants to see the show that caused it.

[jsg03jd]

Posted: 7/12/09 at 1:43am

I plan to see it again with Paulo too. I'd already seen him and O'Hara several times in the past. I hope to see O'Hara if/when she returns to the show. (The reason why I had a July 5th ticket was that was the original last date for O'Hara but she got pregnant, and the rest, as they say, is history.) I'd love to be there for Szot's final performance as well.

The show itself is so gorgeous and moving that other than my issues with the current Cable, I too continue to be moved to tears by the experience.