South Pacific

I know this show very well having played in it five times, in various capacities. It is very colourful and is just what the audience needs as Winter approaches. We were greeted with a lovely projection of a rolling surf running onto a beach in the South Pacific variations of which continued  throughout the production.                             

The opening scene was a delight with  Daisy Quinn, Ngana and Santi Ramirez- Pajaro, Jerome, the children of Emile de Becque. These children seemed at home on the stage, showing no signs of nerves and I will be interested to see how they progress in the next few years.

The set was first class and together with some excellent lighting was a perfect atmosphere for those on stage. Back stage crew again ensured that all scene changes were speedy and smooth, so essential in any production.

The male ensemble is very important in this show and did a sterling job tonight, with great vocals excellent movement and some great characterisations. The enthusiastic female ensemble looked lovely and performed well. Ruth Barnes and Susannah Maybury, Choreographers, with the assistance of Dance Captain, Gemma Last, have ensured the routines were entirely appropriate for this production.

Costumes were authentic but I did feel they were too pristine. No trace of sweat, no impression of the heat in that part of the world. I did notice that the buckets for the shower, which were supposedly full of water, were obviously empty.

 There were some good performances tonight but I felt Jenny Quirk as Nellie was outstanding. A great interpretation with excellent vocals. Simon Fletcher as Emile gave a powerful performance, with a convincing French accent and he was never out of character. Jude Fullerton as Bloody Mary was larger than life, as the role demanded and had a great rapport with the Army and Navy personnel. I also enjoyed Bob Harrison as Captain Brackett and Paul Lewin as Cmdr. Harbison. Both were very convincing and had great diction and they ensured that the pace of the dialogue was just what was required.

I was impressed with the overall production, Director, Val Cowley, showing her all experience as did John Elliott, Musical Director, who brought out the best from the talented musicians and actors. Well done to all involved. Thank you, once again, for a very warm welcome.

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