My thoughts on SOUTH PACIFIC- Page 2

[jaystarr]

Posted: 3/12/08 at 3:05pm

Thanks.. Jeff...Were seeing it this weekend...


J*

[hellzapoppin2000]

Posted: 3/12/08 at 3:12pm

What a clossal overblown disappointment. No star power between the leads, poor staging all the way through with the book scenes absolutely leaden. And poor Bloody Mary -- how great Bali Hai should have been on the expanse of the stage and background, but instead it is played in front of some ghastly scenery pieces that totally detract. Not one show stopper in the evening -- couldn't wait for it to be over. Total waste of an evening.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 3/12/08 at 3:20pm

"So, with all this money poured into the production, are we pretty sure they'll do a "Live From Lincoln Center" of this?"



Hope so

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/12/08 at 4:30pm

I would imagine, right? With all the money and the sold-out crowds.

[jeffrey1dog]

Posted: 3/12/08 at 5:30pm

hellzapoppin2000 - I'm shocked you were so disappointed. The background was not distracting to us at all since we had the side view. I guess if that was the case those seats turned out to be better than the center.

[singingshowgirl]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:42am

i saw the evening show and just got home....mixed feelings

i am a big old-school musical fan, so i loved hearing the beautiful well-known songs. and all the singing is stellar.

kelli o'hara was a bit disappointing. she has an absolutely lovely voice and did have a good sense of spunk....but i personally found her voice too heady and not belty enough..and not enough spunk...she sounded too much like a lyrical soprano, which i know is how she was trained and what her natural voice is, but singing "I'm in love I'm in love I'm in love, etc" in complete head voice just doesn't work for me..and i felt that when (SPOILERS) she finds out about emile at the end of act 1, her abrupt change was not justified with her behavior...and could have been...i thought "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right out of my hair" was excellent and had a good belt...i felt "Honey Bun" to be verrrry bland...and whoever told her to sit for most of "A Wonderful Guy" was stupid...I thought Emile was just another pretty voice at first, but he got better as the show went on. He definitely has a really nice voice. Sometimes his choices were very bland, but I thought he was good at the end of Act 1 in particular.

Matthew Morrison made the show for me.....he was absolutely breath-taking (in regards to his performance and his physical appearance hahaha...no complaints that he took his shirt off haha!!).....I generally didn't feel an emotional connection at the show, but all the emotion I got was from him. Was anyone else annoyed that he shared a bow with Le-at (sry can't spell!!)? His part was so much bigger!! Ahhh he was soo good

Danny Burstein was cute and fun...I've always been a fan of him, so it was nice to see him work again.

Bloody Mary did exactly what she should have done to the part. she played it exactly how everyone plays it, but she had a lovely voice, so it worked. she just didn't bring anything really creative or innovative to the part....but I don't necessarily think it matters.

The scenery is beautiful....

Overall, I liked it, but didn't love it. I felt that the emotional connection was missing for me, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was...but it's good. It's South Pacific and it's nice to see an oldie where literally every single song is "well-known."

[jrb]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:15am

Interesting reaction, singingshowgirl.
You are the first person I've heard who had high praise for Matthew Morrison - primarily because his voice is exceptionally pop (he straight tones the high notes in Younger than Springtime and has been accused of overacting throughout the piece) while Kelli uses a legit technique more often associated with the style of the piece.
Not arguing against your opinion - just found in interesting. It seems like our aesthetic has changed to the degree where a pop sound is acceptible in more legit vehicles.

I will agree that Kelli is not the spunky Nellie that some may expect. I found her performance to be quiet and much more naturalistic than others I've seen - almost more a film performance, but for the intimacy of the space, I thought that it worked quite well.
Emile? - I've heard your resonse from a few folks now. Seems like people either love him or find him dull.
Playbill finally posted some shots from the production. Just two, but it's a start.

Also, we should remember that this is still in previews. They are doing these shows after having 4-5 hours of rehearsals a day. No excuse, by any means, but I think it will continue to come together as the next few weeks progress. They're still making changes, after all.


Updated On: 3/13/08 at 09:15 AM

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:32am

Going to an early preview, I know what I'm in for.

I knew what I expected from Ms. O'Hara, and that's what I got. I knew what I expected from Bart Sher and company, and that's what I got.

[WestVillage]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:58am

I saw SP last night as well, and really enjoyed it. The set is gorgeous, the music sounds spectactular. I liked Kelli a lot, but didn't love her ... I agree with others who have said she doesn't have star qualtiy, and she wasn't as happy-go-lucky and spunky as I would think Nellie is. I thought Danny was the highlight, and I enjoyed Bloody Mary. I was underwhelmed with the Emile (saw no chemistry between him and Kelli), and thought Matt Morrison was the weakest one in the show. He had no stage presence at all, and even shirtless and buff, found him lacking in sex appeal. I thought his acting was horrendous, and kept thinking during the show that there are so many other actors who could have handled this role much better.

Overall, a wonderful production with some flaws. I would say my biggest disappointment was that the show never soared ... even in rousing numbers like "Dame" and "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy", and the show was lacking in emotion. But it is great to have this classic back on Broadway, wonderful to hear an overture played by a 30 piece orchestra, and I'm sure it will get great reviews and will have a nice healthy run. I would put my money on this winning Best Revival over the other contenders.

[bwayguy22089]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:04pm

I saw it as well and loved it. The set and costumes were beautfiul and I thought everyone did a wonderful job. The music and lyrics are def. the stars of the show though. When stage rolled back and the orchestra was revealed...ugh....chills.

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:43pm

Do you have any more pics, jrb? With the male ensemble that is?

[WestVillage]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:51pm

lildogs ... if memory serves me correctly, you and I in a recent post were discussing the use of nudity in SP ... well, now that I've seen it, I stand by what I said ... the brief nudity is completely gratuitous and unnecessary. So much so that the person I was with didn't even notice it, because there was so much action happening simultaneously onstage. I can't think of any reason why the director had these 2 chorus boys coming out of the shower "huts" naked and run upstage, other than to give the audience a cheap thrill. They easily could have been covered in towels.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:51pm

As many people know, I am a huge Matt fan and I am sad to hear many people not enjoying his performance ! I do believe that Matt is incredibly talented and I am surprised by the many harsh reviews! Maybe it's the direction's fault that he doesn't show his true capabilities ! And there's no way I'll believe that he can ever lack sex appeal, the man is HOT !!! I do hope he improves or takes a different approach to the role, I'd be devastated if I see him and don't enjoy him !

[jrb]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 12:59pm

This is the only other official image to have been released. There aren't any others of the male ensemble as of yet - I'm sure more will pop up soon.

[lildogs]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 1:02pm

Thanks, jrb...but I hoping to get a glimpse of my friend--I think he's in the other pic, but he's behind Bloody Mary and another chorus boy...

[WestVillage]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 1:07pm

Unfortunately, for me, Matt was a big YAWN in this production. Since you already find him hot, you will probably disagree about his lack of sex appeal ... but to me, he gave off no sexual energy whatsoever. While he does look good, I've never found him particularly "hot", so the sex appeal factor suffers from that as well.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 1:18pm

I perectly respect that ! But I was so in awe with him on Hasirspray (I had ages to be so impressed by a performance), that I really can't imagine him not being brilliant ! But I am sure yours and other reviews are really honest and that's what worries me !

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 2:24pm

Brillant, really? Okay.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 3:58pm

Well, taking into account that he was also nominated for a Tony for Piazza... yes, brilliant !

[jeffrey1dog]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 4:00pm

I don't know for sure but I think it was the director's choice to have Mr. Morrison appear not TOO sickly. He sings like a bird, looks great & I definitely believed he was in love with Liat.

[Sleeper2]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 8:42pm

I heard Steven Pasquale was offered the role but couldn't get out of his contract on the television show, so Matt got the part.

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:12pm

You know, I see naked men almost every day in my regular line of work. But it is always exciting for me to see legitimate actors exposing flesh, be it shirtless, pantless or whatever, on the legitimate Broadway stage. I intend on enjoying the eye candy presented at Linoln Center.

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:14pm

Your line of work sounds fascinating !!!!

[baddadnpa]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:14pm

I do enjoy going to work each day

[Greekmusicalfan]

Posted: 3/13/08 at 9:28pm

Who can blame you ?