South Pacific Review: Dated but Good
March 10th, 2011 by Keely
Last Tuesday I had the opportunity to see Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. I am not really sure what to think of it.
Before I begin, let me just say that I had never bothered to drag my butt as far north as the Toronto Centre for the Arts before, and I regret it. It’s a beautiful theatre and a gorgeous building. Should you have the opportunity to go, it is well worth suffering the 45 minute commute up to North York Centre station.
From a technical perspective, it has a huge fly space: giant wings to store the set and a fairly deep stage. The seating is equally beautiful with two balconies, comfortable chairs and great acoustics. But I guess most people would head up north to see the play and not the space.
The question is: is this the show worth watching? The story is simple enough: it follows two couples in love in the South Pacific during the war and the troubles they face, which is mostly racism. The two main characters fall in love at the start of the play and the rest of the story unfolds slowly. It reminds me of every 1950 war movie that I endured with my parents and grandparents as a child: entertaining but not riveting, at least not to me.
The story focuses on a U.S. Navy nurse from Little Rock named Nellie (played by the lovely and talented Carmen Cusack), who falls for Emile de Becque (played by David Pittsinger), a Frenchman who ran off to the South Pacific island to escape his past. Unknown to Nellie, Emile had previously married a Polynesian woman and had 2 children with her before she died. Meanwhile a new marine, Lieutenant Cable (played by Aaron Ramey), arrives on the island and members of the Navy, the Seabees, try to convince him to go to the island of Bali Ha’i where all the women have been relocated. When they go to the island, Cable falls for Liat (played by Sumie Maeda), the daughter of Bloody Mary, a Tonkinese woman (played by the immensely talented Jodi Kimura). The first act ends with Nellie learning about Emile’s children and realizing she cannot overcome her racial prejudices to be with him. Cable eventually refuses to marry Liat for racist reasons as well so he and Emile depart on a dangerous mission to stop the Japanese ships. Minuscule events fill the remaining 3 hours. I could have done without the Thanksgiving Follies, which did nothing to advance the plot, and the reprises of every single song. The play concludes as it should with Nellie overcoming her racism and agreeing to raise Emile’s children. I’m sure most members of the audience today will not be surprised with the ending as modern day views on racism are not tolerated, especially when it comes between love.
While the play may come to an obvious conclusion, it at least has fun getting there. The actors are fabulous and the singing is phenomenal, especially supported by the impeccable sounding orchestra. I could listen to David Pittsingera sing all day; his voice is like butter and it certainly helps you to believe Nellie could fall in love with him so easily. Some of the songs are simply amazing: “Bali Ha’i” is always a beautiful song and it is executed just so; “Some Enchanted Evening” is catching and endearing; “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” was stuck in my head for days. A few of the other songs are completely forgettable. Some songs even seem to make the show stand still as an actor will stand on the stage and sing for a few moments before we snap back to the story. Songs like these I could have done without. I have to wonder what Rodger and Hammerstein were thinking with “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught”: Emile asks Cable why he and Nellie have such horrible prejudices and suddenly the music picks up with an upbeat tempo song. Here, I am in the audience wondering if they’re about to sing a jingle about racism being ‘just the way things are’. It seemed inappropriate and distasteful so I was glad it didn’t last long.
The slow songs gave me time to observe the other parts of the show. It opens with Emile’s villa, which didn’t impress me and the lighting of the scene does nothing to enhance it. But then the beach scene moves in and wow! It is a gorgeous set. The changes between different parts of the beach are smooth and seamless. From inside the Captain’s office to back outside, the only changes are the lowering of a large map and the wheeling of some desks, but you are fully transported to each setting. The main backdrop is a view of the sea and at times the volcanoes on Bali Ha’i. The ability to alternate between views with lighting is spectacular and mesmerizing, exactly the effect you want to have with the island view. My favourite set is the outdoor shower; I was impressed at how the characters used it to wash up within songs and without the audience really noticing such things. The costumes are nicely suited to the time period and while I might not have liked the Thanksgiving Follies scene, it did require some pretty interesting and creative costumes.
At the conclusion, the audience jumped to their feet. They loved it. It was mostly an older crowd and not particularly a big crowd at that, but I wonder if that made a difference. I felt that if I could have seen the play in it’s original production in 1949 on Broadway I would have been floored. At such an uncertain time, when racism is an ongoing issue in everyone’s mind, I bet it would be a shocking ending; it must have been as South Pacific won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. The play addresses serious issues in a very enjoyable way. But then I ask, why remount it? It doesn’t translate to today. The ending isn’t shocking; it ends as it should with each character happy. What’s shocking is the amount of racial remarks thrown into the play. But maybe, it’s just a piece of history that everyone should see. And in the end, I’m certainly glad I did.
You can still catch South Pacific playing now until April 10th at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. For tickets and details please see here.
