I was quite thrilled with the broadcast of "South Pacific" last night. As some of you may remember, I saw the national tour company here in San Francisco last fall.
The production last night had exactly what the tour company lacked: A vibrant Nellie Forbush and a strong believable Emile deBecque! I was absolutely mesmerized by their assured performances. O'Hara was a revelation as Nellie...hitting all the right notes in reaction, dialogue and, of course, music. The chemistry was palpable between her and Szot.
As I opined after seeing the national tour, I was really disappointed that an understudy was doing deBecque in the performance I saw. He and "star" Carmen Cusack (?) had zero chemistry, awkward blocking and never related to one another in a believable way. It left a huge hole in the show as the rest of it was splendid in every way.
I don't know what I expected from Danny Burstein. I knew he was nominated for the Tony. What I didn't expect was another revelation. His Luther Billis is EXTRAordinary. All the timing and perfection of character, nuance, reactions to other players. It was a joy to behold. The touring company's Luther is very good....but NOT on the level of Burstein.
I was a bit put off by Andrew Sarmonsky's Joe Cable. He's a tall, good-looking young guy. And doesn't he "just" know it. His Cable swaggers and glares and ignores activity around him. He has a really sweet tenor, though....but tends to over-enunciate his vowels -- primarily anything that stars with "e" and ends with "r". On the plus side, he was extremely convincing in the 2nd act as a guy with malaria. I did not really care for his bit of activity with Billis at the end of the "Bali Hai" number...when he basically yanked Billis around and nearly put a wrestling hold on him. Too-too much...and jarring instead of effective. Some of what he did seemed improvised instead of something he does daily during regular performances.
I have to say I thought the touring company's Anderson Davis was a far more accessible, likable and equally talented Joe Cable. When deBecque radioed that his friend Joe Cable had died, it was sob-inducing in the live production I saw. Last night, I was only sad.
I thought Loretta Ables Sayre was another revelation as Bloody Mary. The one I saw in S.F. was fun..she was built, and moved around, like a Sumo wrestler. But Sayre was wholly a new creation for me -- Mary was real. She drew emotional responses...and seeing Sayre on TV, in closeup, probably had a lot more to do with how I perceived the character. Her vocals were superb...and the "Happy Talk" scene was extraordinary (and deserved the cheers/applause from the audience). In the "Bali Hai" number, she was singing to Cable (who ignored her, seemingly). I prefer the magic generated in the film during this number....Cable completely captivated as Mary sings her magical turne. In the touring company, Cable sat on a box during the entire number...turned away from the audience. At least the Lincoln Center production didn't make "that" mistake.
Any time something like this is broacast on television, I am amazed, delighted and thrilled. I hope others took something positive from the experience...
I'm certain the show was broadcast live on the east coast...and that we on the left coast saw a recording of it. Audio problems happen often in live theater. They are regrettable, but they happen. This sort of thing used to happen on live TV and we got used to it, understanding that "s**t happens.
I did not think Alan Alda (or Mary Rodgers or Alice Hammerstein) brought much to the proceedings at all.
