South Pacific, starring Julian Ovenden at the Chichester Festival Theatre, deserves to be seen, especially if it transfers to the West End
South Pacific
Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex Until September 5
Artistic Director Daniel Evans, both at Chichester and before that at Sheffield, has succeeded in breathing new life into old musicals. And he’s got another winner here. There are more than a dozen great songs in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 blockbuster.
A strong cast is led by Julian Ovenden as the plantation owner Emile de Becque, and a pregnant Gina Beck bravely throwing herself around as Nellie. Rarely has the drama sounded more immediate or more moving.
Evans is totally faithful to Hammerstein and Joshua Logan’s book. An easier task because Hammerstein’s overt intolerance of racial prejudice was well ahead of his time.
A strong cast is led by Julian Ovenden as the plantation owner Emile de Becque, and a pregnant Gina Beck (above, with Ovenden) bravely throwing herself around as Nellie
The song You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught, about racism being passed on from generation to generation, was a brave one in post-war America.
The sets and costumes reflect the hugely successfully 1958 film. Evans is far too secure an artist to be afraid of paying such a tribute to his predecessors.
There’s a brilliant, show-stopping performance from Keir Charles as the wide boy Luther Billis; Joanna Ampil portrays Bloody Mary as a clever entrepreneur, not a caricature native, and the part of her daughter (Sera Maehara) is filled out by some eloquent dance solos from choreographer Ann Yee.
But, and it’s a big one, the music isn’t so tip-top. The show has been reorchestrated for smaller forces, thereby removing the great glory of Robert Russell Bennett’s orchestral score.
But Music Director Cat Beveridge manages her reduced forces well. However, casting a tenor as de Becque is a mistake. Rodgers loved operatic voices, and created de Becque for the principal bass of the Met, Ezio Pinza, while another star basso, Giorgio Tozzi recorded the songs for the film and Rossano Brazzi mimed along.
In the best number of all, This Nearly Was Mine, Ovenden almost completely ran out of steam, a sadness for someone whose acting was so convincing. Rob Houchen, a light tenor, sang much more persuasively as Lt Cable.
Younger Than Springtime recalled William Tabbert in the Broadway premiere; high praise in my book.
But don’t let these reservations put you off. This show deserves to be seen, especially if, as I hope, it transfers to the West End.