Last night I went to see South Pacific at the Lincoln Center Theatre with wonderful Sam Zalutsky and Ed Boland. I have to say this may be the best musical performance I've ever seen—and I'm not even really a musical fan! The story is pretty dopey, but the cast and orchestra are so good and the production quality is so high—when was the last time at a musical that you could hear every word every actor spoke and hear every word every actor sang without one single zip of static marring any of it???—and was utterly carried along. Every performer was stellar but my favorites were Danny Burstein as Luther Billis, Paulo Szot as Emile de Becque, and Loretta Ables Sayre as Bloody Mary. "There Is Nothin' Like a Dame" was the best number in the whole show...as well it should be (if a dame is allowed to say so herself). Kelli O'Hara was sweet and corny as Nellie, and I have my sneaking suspicion she's expecting. I've heard she's leaving the show soon but will return in September, and the bathing suit scene for "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" makes you eye her belly and go, "Hmm." I have to admit I have caught myself humming many, many of the songs to myself long after—especially "Dites-moi porquoi la ville est belle?" The only song that didn't live up to my expectations from my murky memories of the movie was "Happy Talk." I think my own re-enactment of that song, along with Tanya Robie (especially late at night in the lobby of The Brown in Louisville) is much, much more entertaining.
Oh, as a theatre goer I do commend the Lincoln Center for the groovy FREE coat lockers. This is such a civilized and wonderful option that sure beats a coat check! Thank you, thank you!
Sam and I had great fun entertaining ourselves with the beautiful mosaics at the Lincoln Center subway stop waiting for the 1. Sam could have a whole other career as a mosaic model, I do believe!
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