South Pacific

It is testament to the quality of this musical that it is playing to capacity audiences more than 60 years after its first performance. The full house on Wednesday certainly showed their appreciation.

Julie Mallaband’s direction was fast paced although the opening sequence was different from the one listed in the programme. Charlotte Middleton produced some slick choreography whilst the band under Mark Timms was tight and sympathetic to the singers. The lighting plot was good and the balance of sound between the stage and pit was excellent particularly for the underscoring.

There was some strong, confident singing from both male and female choruses and all the ensemble and solo work was confident.

Maizie Grew (Ngana) and Toby Clark (Jerome) were delightful as was Sarah Clark (Sophie). I must compliment Kate Pinell (Nellie) not only on her acting and singing but also on her exemplary diction. Phil Bourn (Emile) was a good match for her and you could almost feel his desperation when he felt that his future was slipping away from him. Deb Middleton gave an exquisite performance as Bloody Mary and there was plenty more humour from the lively Jonathan Jaylon Blake as Luther Billis. Ava Taroni was ideal as the innocent Liat and her routine with Bloody Mary in ‘Happy Talk was really slick. Patrick Jervis (Cable) also gave a good portrayal of a man torn between his principals and his love for Liat. There were also strong performances from David Hill (Captain Bracket) and Ed Hill (Commander Harbison).There were lots of cast members who made very valuable contributions to the story.

Well done to everyone involved!  

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