SOUTH PACIFIC Lands in San Antonio

Rodgers & Hammerstein's classic musical South Pacific opened a 5-night stand in San Antonio's Majestic Theatre Tuesday evening.  Winner of seven Tony Awards, the 1949 musical is currently enjoying a lively revival on Broadway and is touring the US as a part of Broadway Across America.

Based on a 1948 World War II novel, Tales of the South Pacific, South Pacific is a sweeping dual love story that takes place on a Naval base on a south Pacific island.  Naval nurse Nellie Forbush (Carmen Cusack) falls unexpectedly for a romantic and older Frenchman, Emile de Becque (Rod Gilfry).  However, she begins to question her involvement with the civilian plantation owner de Becque after a Lieutenant Cable (Anderson Davis), a Marine on a special mission, arrives and seeks out de Becque to join him in a reconnaissance mission on a neighboring island.

The stories that unfold from that point forward are old-fashioned, but that is what gives South Pacific its enduring success.  The racism that existed in the US at that time is engrained in born-southerner Nellie Forbush, and she struggles to accept that her beloved de Becque could have loved a woman of color.  Nellie remains uncertain about her feelings until faced with losing de Beque's life for good.

Refraining from further detailing the plot for purposes of not spoiling it for those who plan to attend this production in the future, I will segue into the many talented principal actors of South Pacific's touring company.

As the tall-dark-and-handsome Emile de Becque, Rod Gilfry carried the role beautifully with his baritone voice.  I felt that his acting came across a bit stiff at times, but that could just as easily be attributed to the character.  Carmen Cusack, a long-time Elphaba in a multitude of Wicked productions, was an adorable Nellie Forbush with a great combination of spunk and innocence.  Anderson Davis (Lt. Cable) reminded me of Aaron Tveit so much it was alarming (oh, and he was also a good singer).  I'll conclude with Matthew Saldivar's Luther Billis, a determined sailor with but two things on his mind: women and money.  As the show's main comic relief, he provided it wonderfully.