South Pacific

As this is one of my favourite musicals I was looking forward to my visit to St Ambrose Players production and I thoroughly enjoyed my evening. The seven piece orchestra under the direction of Debbie Brotherton gave us a flavour of what to expect with a rousing overture. The curtains opened to a magnificent set and this was to extend through the whole production, each scene as good as, if not better than, the previous one. This company has an enviable reputation for designing and constructing excellent sets and designer John Hutchinson and his team have succeeded, once again, projecting an essence of an island in the South Pacific. This musical has a strong plot which is sadly also relevant today and it contains some well loved musical numbers. Kim Brookfield as Ensign Nellie Forbush gave a commanding performance and has a pleasant vocal range. Meir Vardi as Emile De Becque gave a powerful acting performance but unfortunately he has not the singing voice for the iconic numbers his character has to perform. He will no doubt be a great asset to the company in any non singing roles in the future. Matthew Clark as Luther Billis gave a good well-judged interpretation with good comic timing and accent. Steven Barnes played an excellent cameo role as Captain Bracket. Paul Regan as Lieutenant Cable and Jennie Barnes as Liat as the star crossed lovers were a delight but Paul must learn to project as some of his dialogue was missed. All the principals were well supported by the ensemble, especially the men with their rendition of “ There is nothing like a Dame”. St Ambrose Players are so lucky to have a superb backstage crew and together with excellent Costumes, lighting and sound Jean Hutchinson, Director has provided a very enjoyable evening of Theatre.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.