He plays the role by the book-one that any cult follower of the graphic novel would readily and happily approve. He and Brummel deliver a sensational “S.O.S.” when it’s clear they still love each other."Įric Kunze, a veteran Broadway actor like Salonga, is, easily, the real star of the musical. Indeed, he has performed major roles on Broadway including Marius in Les Miserables and Chris in Miss Saigon.
#Joe cable princeton grad south pacific professional
He is played by Eric Kunze, who has that experienced, stage ease and meticulous perfection which comes from a lot of professional experience. "Sam is the most seriously drawn of the trio of possible fathers. Congratulations to California Musical Theater, Glenn Casale and the entire cast for a great theatrical experience!
This show could be packed up and brought to the Broadway stage without one change. When reality hits and Bloody Mary insists he marry Liat, Cable is faced with his own prejudices.Ĭoming back from the theater I had the sensation that I had been transported to a completely different world, visions of Bali Ha'i floating in my dreams.
The book helped me to understand what soldiers far away from home go through, where most of their days are spent waiting for action, hot, many times ill, trying to find ways to alleviate the crushing boredom. Totally believable as a Princeton grad turned career officer, with a society girlfriend back home, my heart broke as he became besotted with the lovely Liat, under the spell of Bali Ha'i, that "special island". Likable Jeff Skowron got most of the laughs as Luther, followed by Armelia McQueen (Bloody Mary), who got a laugh everytime she said "You like?" Ezio Pinza, the original Emile on Broadway, couldn't have done it better. I, too, became infatuated with him when he opened his mouth to sing "Some Enchanted Evening", which echoed off the rafters. It's easy to understand her infatuation with Emile (John Cudia). But his best work was in the casting: he couldn't have chosen a better team to play each of the leads, and that includes Eric Kunze.īeth Malone is totally convincing as a Southern gal who wants to see the world, but is hampered by her "carefully taught" prejudices. Aisles were used for scene changes while scenery was dropped from the ceiling to keep the action flowing seamlessly. From what I've read, composing the music came easy to Richard Rodgers, who apparently wrote Bali Ha'i in ten minutes over coffee.ĭirector Glenn Casale did a brilliant job on the difficult task of staging in the round. Oscar Hammerstein and Joshua Logan did a phenomenal job writing the script, gleaning the most important aspects of the book to tie them into a cohesive story. Cable, Bloody Mary, Luther Billis, all fleshed out in such a way to make me understand them, their backgrounds and their motivations, all of which would be impossible to pack into a 2-1/2 hour show. They're all there: from Nelly Forbush, Emile De Beque, Lt. Published in 1946, each of the nineteen chapters deals with a different situation or character, many of which were incorporated into the musical. I read "Tales of the South Pacific" by James Mitchener, upon which the musical is based, previous to my trip which gave me a great foundation for what I was about to see.
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