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When I was in high school, I was absolutely addicted to the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein movie musicals. That hasn’t changed. Even today, popping The King and I or Oklahoma! into my DVD player will immediately put me in a good mood. The one exception to this is the movie-musical version of South Pacific. Unfortunately, this wonderful musical has never made a good transition to screen. Both the 1958 movie and the 2001 made-for-TV versions leave something to be desired, to put it mildly. South Pacific is a wonderful show, but I had just about given up on finding a quality performance on DVD until this concert aired on PBS earlier this year.
South Pacific in Concert from Carnegie Hall stars Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Alec Baldwin and a whole slew of familiar faces from the Broadway theatre. Sung through with important snippets of dialogue left intact, the actors relate the familiar story: In the South Pacific during WWII, eternal optimist Nellie Forbush (McEntire), an American nurse, has fallen in love with a handsome French plantation owner, Emile de Becque (Mitchell). However, when she discovers that he has fathered two children with a Polynesian woman, she must overcome her inherent small-town prejudices in order to be with him. Meanwhile, a young lieutenant named Joe Cable (Jason Daniely) faces a similar battle, as he falls in love with a young native woman named Liat. These relationships come to a head just before de Becque and Cable embark on a dangerous mission.
This concert has everything that the two movie versions are lacking. There are stellar performances all around – particularly from Alec Baldwin, whom I didn’t expect much from, honestly. His character is mostly for comic relief and doesn’t do much singing, but he really turned in a great performance. (He’s also proof that live theatre can cause even professionals to goof up. Look for his hysterical blunder during the "There is Nothing Like a Dame" number.)
Reba McEntire is wonderful as Nellie. She’s a little more "country" than most actresses in the role, but she makes it work. Brian Stokes Mitchell is absolutely phenomenal as Emile. If his rendition of "This Nearly Was Mine" doesn’t bring tears to your eyes, you have no soul. And a couple of actors really shine in smaller parts - particularly Lillias White as Bloody Mary and Alexander Gemignani as Stewpot. (Gemignani can currently be seen playing Valjean in the new revival of Les Miserables.)
South Pacific has some of the best music written by the Rodgers and Hammerstein team. If you’ve never seen the show, this performance will give you the best introduction to it. And if you’re familiar with the show but have felt under-whelmed by the existing movie versions, check out the concert. It might just rekindle your love for the show. It certainly did for mine.
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