South Pacific

Much larger orchestra than your usual and how good they were under baton of Simon Barnett; must congratulate them especially for the excellent underscoring in the show (and there is a lot) as we heard every word, and then those wonderful familiar melodies.

Simple main set most effective palm trees, and then the additional front sets which took ingenuity to install, what a shower unit with the working water and how was it stored in wings? Sound and lighting fine.

Directors Katie Wright and Craig Plumley had assembled a cast filled with energy and movement and how good the projection during the numbers. That male chorus really hit the roof with ‘Nothing like a Dame’, a great wake-up call for all in audience and some lovely cameo character roles to capitalise the action. Stewpot, McCaffrey, Buzz Adams, O’Brien, and of course The Professor, all played their roles to the full, plus others from college in Thetford: volume, diction and energy good. Brackett and Harbison from Simon Kitching and Ryan Bryne maintained their characters well.

Bloody Mary (Julie Settle) established her rationale well with the men and continued relationships with Cable from Luke Jeffries (a different type role from his panto appearances) a nice voice for ‘Springtime’ and worked well opposite Liat (Charlie Wilson).  And David Williams in his element as the extravert Billis playing up to Nellie in entertainment (Honey Bun) and infuriating his officers with ‘the diversion’.

A good family unit with clarity from Ngana and Jerome in song. Emile, an older father, from Dave Griffiths, with great empathy for the role and feelings for Nellie, and music to die for put over well in tune with the action of the piece. But in a different league from the rest of the cast and outstanding in the role (missed several shows with the group but a great return), Tina Matthews was Nellie at full force with voice and personality and style, what a performance from her and driving the production to full heights, definitely worthy of the applause from the packed audience.

The remembered R&H score so perfect with those songs, what an evening to enjoy with great pleasure,

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