SFist Reviews: South Pacific at the Golden Gate Theater
Anderson Davis as Lt. Joseph Cable and Sumie Maeda as Liat
In this new cast, the shining stars are definitely Carmen Cusack in the lead role of Ensign Nellie Forbush, the hilarious Keala Settle as Bloody Mary, and the dashing Anderson Davis as Lieutenant Joseph Cable, whose tenor voice is as strong and tight as his abs. Also, the ensemble of male dancers who get to show off particularly in the first act, is super-talented and downright acrobatic.
While the play itself suffers a bit from the passing of time -- there is a fair amount of implicit and explicit racism in both the book and the lyrics, and we found the casting of operatic baritone Rod Gilfry as Emile deBecque rather awkward, even though the role is traditionally sung by just such a singer -- it's a fun romp back in time if you love old musicals and can set such things aside.
The set design, adapted from Michael Yeargan's Tony-winning sets on Lincoln Center's thrust stage, are cleverly executed and wonderfully dynamic, but perhaps lost a bit of the depth and grandeur of the originals having to be squeezed onto a flat proscenium. And both Bartlett Sher's direction and Christopher Gattelli's choreography are faithful to the era without feeling anachronistic.
If you're one of those people who sang "Happy Talk" in a chorus in a middle school, or liked to listen to "Bali Ha'i" and "There Ain't Nothin Like a Dame" on your record player at home, you'll get a huge kick out of seeing this professional of a production.