Customer Reviews

Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (The New Broadway Cast)

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

it is too easy to judge a revival of a golden broadway hit by the template of the original and find the newer show wanting; this one is not, believe me. i can understand how frank rich of the new york times burst into tears in response to the opening night show; i almost did, too, when i listened to this cd for the first time. this edition of south pacific -- only the second on the broadway stage in 60 years -- is simply sublime. i found it better than the original in many ways. it is the best revival since guys and dolls with nathan lane, better than the recent revivals of the music man (close) kiss me kate (not so much) and pal joey (get oudda here...).

and folks who say this recording is insipid or lacks energy or that certain songs are "too well sung" are all wet. the orchestrations are true to the original ones, so the music will immediately sound familiar and comfortable, but now with 21st century technology and crystal clear sound so you can hear what the music sounded like to folks back in 1949.

kelli o'hara is out of sight as nellie forbush; her voice is pure and clear and pitch perfect and conveys all the energy you'd want and she interprets the lyrics "correctly" (read: as we have come to understand from mary martin and mitzi gaynor). she even affects a southern accent, and exudes way more in good looks and femininity than mary martin ever did, and is more energetic and more of a real singer than mitzi gaynor in the movie. they can mail kelli the tony right now.

paulo szot as emile de becque fills up the music hall with his baritone-bass voice on his big songs, especially twin soliloquies and this nearly was mine. some enchanted evening was a little softer than ezio pinza's and that song needs to be boomed out. i was as satisfied with his voice overall, however, as with pinza's or rossano brazzi's -- and paulo has a sort of robert goulet look about him, with a mustache no doubt meant to instantly convey the french planter look.

the only voices i found wanting and suffering in comparison with the originals were loretta ables sayre as bloody mary -- she is not juanita hall and sounds too much like a middle-aged lea salonga and not gravelly and rough enough to convey bloody mary's edge and cynicism as hall did so well especially on bali ha'i or even happy talk

-- and matthew morrison, as joe cable, who has to strain to hit the high notes on younger than springtime, which william tabbert in the original show never had any problem with. springtime, along with some enchanted evening, are the male arias in this opera and need big voices to carry them off and morrison's is too thin. even on my girl back home he seems to be straining a bit. he does convey more youth than tabbert or john kerr, who played joe cable in the movie, did, which may be what R & H had in mind for the character.

the ensemble numbers -- there is nothin' like a dame, wash that man right outta my hair and i'm in love with a wonderful guy -- are strong and energetic; certainly no complaints there; every bit as good as the original.

one advantage of cds is that you can get more material on them than on lp records so there is some dialogue, which especially is effective when emile introduces his two children to nellie and she reacts as only a carefully taught bigoted southern belle would; you get more context for the drama and progression of the story in the songs.

the show is edgier and more up front and in your face re the race issue than the movie was; anyone who thinks rodgers and hammerstein were all warm and fuzzy fluffmeisters need only watch this show or listen to this cd -- and take a harder look at flower drum song to see that they had courage to confront, sometimes with seriousness and sometimes with humor, the race issue. finian's rainbow, which came out at about the same time, addressed it, too, but only showboat -- which came out 20 years before -- when done right and in its entirety with its full gravity and not as a minstrel show, confronts the race issue more and better than does south pacific.

i think there was an idealistic, optimistic (but not cockeyed) feeling in 1949 that it was a new world after the war and we all had a chance for a fresh start, under new rules, and the old rules, including of racial discrimination, were fair game to be overturned,, in polynesia as well as on main street usa, so R & H saw the opportunity to use michener's story as their soapbox to lend their voices to that movement.

if you are only going to buy one south pacific and want the best and most enjoyable one to listen to, i would buy this one rather than the original cast recording or the movie; i had both of those already, but from now on, this is the one i will mainly listen to -- it is that good.

The current 2008 Lincoln Center revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC, is an absolutely wonderful evening of entertainment, fully deserving of all the praise it has garnered so far. Unfortunately, little if any of the magic and excitement that the stage performance has in spades is to be found on this cast recording of the show. It is truly disappointing to report that the songs are sung here by the principals as if they have left their stage personas behind and decided to merely sing the songs as pop tunes rather than within the context of the show. Paulo Szot, in particular, gives rather lackluster performances of Emile de Becque's songs. On the stage, his acting and singing are exemplary but on this recording he appears to be singing phonetically, giving the impression he does not understand what the lyrics mean, certainly not the case in his stage performance. Even Kelli O'Hara, a superb singer whose voice is perfect for Nellie Forbush, sings her songs so carefully that it appears that she is trying to be letter perfect in her vocal delivery but little else, again in severe contrast from her stage vocals. Matthew Morrison, as Cable is the weakest singer in the show and that is evident even more so on this recording, but at least on the stage he more than made up for his vocal shortcomings by delivering a multi-layered acting performance in the role, which is of little consequence on this recording. In contrast, Loretta Ables Sayre, as Bloody Mary sings her numbers very close to what was heard on the stage and comes across best of all on this recording. The best that can be said of this cast album of SOUTH PACIFIC is that if you are looking for a memento of the stage production and you are completely unfamiliar with any other previous recordings of this score, it will probably be to your liking. It just is not as good as the live stage performance with the same cast.

The best recording of SOUTH PACIFIC remains the 1958 soundtrack South Pacific (1958 Film Soundtrack), which still sounds great and features definitive vocal performances and lush, atmospheric orchestral and choral work that has never been equaled on any recording of SOUTH PACIFIC. The still available 1949 Original Broadway Cast South Pacific (Original 1949 Broadway Cast) with Mary Martin & Ezio Pinza is truly special but the sound is not so good. The soundtrack offers the best combination of performance and sound ever accorded this score. In fact Richard Rodgers himself proclaimed at the time that the 1958 soundtrack was the most perfect recording of SOUTH PACIFIC ever. This 2008 revival cast album has done nothing to change that assessment.

The first Broadway revival of "South Pacific" has been greeted with absolutely ecstatic reviews and a host of awards. I honestly don't think I've seen or read a single negative thing about this production. However, something must have been lost in the translation to CD, because I find this recording to be little more than mildly entertaining.

Musically, there is very little fault to be found with this CD. The performeres all have good (and in the case of Kelli O'Hara and Paolo Szot, great) voices. O'Hara's crystal clear tone rings like a bell on her songs, and Brazilian opera star Szot uses his expert understanding of musicality and dynamics to good effect. Szot is particularly impressive on "Some Enchanted Evening," where his voice caresses the melody and makes this oft-sung song sound new again.

Even more impressive is the orchestra, which at nearly 30 pieces is one of the largest on Broadway. This recording will make you long (if you don't already) for the days when such large pit orchestras were common, because they sound absolutely fabulous. From the first sumptuous chords of the "Bali Ha'i" melody that begin the overture to the final ultimo, the musicians - under the expert baton of conductor Ted Sperling - transport you to the tropical South Pacific and find every ounce of texture in the score's orchestrations.

With so much right, why only three stars? Well, it's almost as if the score is a little too perfect. In taking such care with the music, the performers seem to have lost the life of the characters. Rodgers & Hammerstein's brilliance was their ability to write beautiful melodies while serving story and character. The people they wrote these songs for are living life to the fullest, and experiencing a plethora of emotions they can only express in song. Many of the tracks on this CD lack that life and vigor. When we get the occassional glimmer of true feeling (such as during O'Hara's delightfully playful take on "Honey Bun"), it makes the rest of the CD that much more disappointing in comparason.

Don't get me wrong; I'm sure the show as performed nightly at the Vivan Beaumont is excellent. This recording does a lot of things right, and I know many people will absolutely adore listening to it again and again. But for me, I want more conviction captured on the CD, since like many people who buy it I will probably not get the chance to see the show live.

I thought that I knew this show but I underestimated its impact at the Vivien Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. There is a real live grand 40+ piece orchestra in the pit that makes the overture take your breadth away and from there it only gets better. The principles are superb and they deserve every award this show has won. Thanks to CD technology, you get a recording of just about all the score with even some incidental and scene change music. I no longer feel like I was cheated to never have heard Mary Martin on stage. Also the production is dedicated to the brave men and women of the South Pacific during WWII. My DA was in Okinawa; so I was very moved!

It's hard to believe that SOUTH PACIFIC has never received a Broadway revival since the original 1949 production (not counting a well-received 1967 Music Theater of Lincoln Center staging which starred Florence Henderson). Happily Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical masterpiece returned to the stage this year in an all-new, acclaimed revival. The cast album captures all the magic and excitement which is dazzling audiences nightly at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

Set on the islands during the tail-end of World War II and based on two story fragments from James A. Michener's "Tales of the South Pacific", the musical follows the romance of naval nurse Nellie Forbush (Kelli O'Hara) and French plantation owner Emile (Paulo Szot). Their relationship is tempered by Nellie's prejudices which are awakened when it's discovered that Emile fathered two children with a Polynesian wife. Meanwhile, handsome young Lt. Joe Cable (Matthew Morrison) finds himself questioning his own small-town American values when he's charmed by Bali Ha'i beauty Liat (Li Jun Li). Adding their own comical hijinks to the story are quick-witted island wheeler-dealer Bloody Mary (Loretta Ables Sayre) and her arch-nemesis, Luther Billis (Danny Burstein), a grounded seabee intent on discovering the delights which can only be found on her wondrous island of Bali Ha'i...

Playing the role of navy nurse Nellie, Kelli O'Hara gamely rises to the challenge, climbing out from under the imposing shadows of Mary Martin and Mitzi Gaynor to provide her own unique spin of the young woman suddenly forced to confront and conquer her racial prejudices if she ever wants to find true love. Ms O'Hara has previously enjoyed great success in the celebrated Lincoln Center production of THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (earning a Tony Award nomination as Clara); and was most recently seen starring opposite Harry Connick Jr. in the Roundabout's revival of THE PAJAMA GAME. With Southern drawl intact she scintillates her way through "A Cockeyed Optimist", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair", "A Wonderful Guy" and "Honey Bun".

Making his musical theatre debut, talented opera singer Paulo Szot spins magic with "Some Enchanted Evening" and "This Nearly Was Mine". It must be something of an unofficial tradition to cast classically trained singers as Emile, following Ezio Pinza (1949) and Giorgio Tozzi (the singing voice for Rossano Brazzi in the film and later the 1967 production opposite Ms. Henderson). He's sensational here.

Matthew Morrison (HAIRSPRAY, THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA) has the right amount of youthful zest and longing in his voice to perfectly nail "Younger Than Springtime". Longtime Broadway character actor Danny Burstein (THE DROWSY CHAPERONE) has a field-day as Luther, leading the boistrous seabee chorus in "There is Nothing Like a Dame". Talented Hawaiian singer Loretta Ables Sayre will give you the chills during "Bali Ha'i".

This is one of the most complete recordings of the show to date, including the Entr'acte and many dialogue passages which will help even the most casual listener follow the story. It's great having Nellie and Emile's dramatic scene leading up to the finale of Act One. The orchestra under the direction of Ted Sperling is lush.

Definitely one of this year's "Must Own" titles for show music fans. Excellent! [MASTERWORKS BROADWAY 88697-30457-2]

It sounds as though it was recorded on Mars and then piped in. I believe the performances are fine but the recording is so compressed, so clean it sounds bloodless and a bit lifeless. Too bad. Stick with the Carnegie Hall recording with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Reba Mcintyre(?) or the original with Ezio Pinza and Mary Martin. Thanks

There are at least ten cast recordings of "South Pacific", including the 1956 film soundtrack and the TV soundtrack. This 2008 gets plus points for including some reprises, the entr'acte, the inclusion of "My Girl Back Home" and presenting the score in it's proper sequence. It loses points for some rather uninvolved performances, and abbreviating "Honey Bun". Only Nellie's solo is included. "Honey Bun" is the major production number in the second act, omitting half of it is stupid! The entire disc runs 64:51, plenty of time available. Better recordings are the Carnegie Hall concert, the ultra-complete Jay Productions, and the 1967 Lincoln Center with Florence Henderson and Giorgio Tozzi. The 1967 Lincoln Center does not have the reprises or the entr'acte, but Honey Bun (although abbreviated) includes the chorus, and overall the performances are much better.

I give this 3 1/2 stars. It is not a bad record--it's just not the best, or even the second-best, recording of this musical. There is something a little flat, a little lacking in pizzazz or sizzle, in the way the songs are sung here--you never suspend your disbelief as you do when listening to the original Broadway cast album or even the movie cast album. I never once forgot it was the actors singing as I listened to this. I got out my original Broadway cast recording to see if I had remembered it too fondly and re-discovered perfection: Mary Martin IS Nellie Forbush, which for this kind of cd and this kind of music, makes all the difference in your listening experience. I'm not sorry I bought it, but in general I'd recommend it for South Pacific junkies only.

I cannot believe that this recording accurately represents the 2008 revival of "South Pacific", a production that has garnered such sterling reviews and praise. It sounds like the singers are not performing with energy and involvement as they must have done on stage. Although the orchestra plays skillfully and with commitment the vocal performances from all the principals are, I am sorry to say, uniformly disappointing. Something must have gone seriously wrong in the making of this album that prevented the translation of this revival to the recording medium. I suspect that the recording was done too quickly and without enough input from the singers as far as shaping their performances for the recording medium, which is the fault of the producers, not the performers. This is the absolute worst produced recording of "South Pacific" I have had heard. True, it features more music than the two most famous and best loved recordings from the past, the Mary Martin/Ezio Pinza Broadway original & the Mitzi Gaynor/Giorgio Tozzi soundtrack, but these two are much better produced and sung recordings of Rodgers and Hammerstein's landmark score. It is truly a shame because here was the opportunity to document this great revival of SOUTH PACIFIC and I don't believe that this recording of it measures up to great recordings of the past for preferred long time listening.

If you have never heard a cast recording of "South Pacific" then you might think this one is terrific. A number of recordings of this landmark musical exist, including the last Broadway revival in 1967, that starred Florence Henderson and Giorgio Tozzi; the film; two studio recordings (one with Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras and the other with Paige O'Hara and Justino Diaz, which is the most complete version). They all have mainly topnotch performances and sound quality. None of them, however, compares with the outstanding qualities of the original Broadway cast recording of 1949 that starred Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza.

The 2008 recording, while boasting 30 musicians in the orchestra pit at Lincoln Center and enhanced with additional players for the recording does not consistently have the gravity or depth of feeling of the 1949 recording. In fact, it sounds tinny. Nor do all the performances have the luster of Martin as Nellie Forbush, Pinza as Emile De Becque or Juanita Hall as Bloody Mary.

In its favor, the 2008 recording does have its own liveliness and seriousness. Kelli O'Hara as Nellie is scintillating in "I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair" and rapturous in "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy." Paulo Szot as De Becque sings perhaps the most moving "Some Enchanted Evening" since Pinza's. Matthew Morrison's gorgeous tenor is heard in a new take on Lt. Cable's "Younger Than Springtime," and his "You Have to be Carefully Taught" has the necessary anger that is a noteworthy contrast to Szot's passionate "This Nearly was Mine," which here includes its brilliant introduction. Loretta Ables Sayre is terrific in "Happy Talk" but her "Bali Ha'i" sounds like a pop recording. The chorus numbers are rousing, although they don't sound as robust as they might in the theater or compared to the 1949 recording. Two additions to the cast recording history of this show should be noted. The first is the restoration of "My Girl Back Home," a duet for Nellie and Lt. Cable that was cut before the 1949 premiere. It uses the original Robert Russell Bennett orchestrations, and it is delightful and at the same time sincere. The other song is the reprise of "Honey Bun" as the nurses and service men get ready to move out for battle. Neither of these renditions were in the 1949 cast recording, although Martin did record a single of "My Girl Back Home" and it is performed in the movie version by Mitzi Gaynor and John Kerr. In the 2008 recording they give the show an approximation of the anxiety and tension and gravity the sailors and nurses feel as they wait in the relentless heat and humidity on a Pacific island to join the fighting. The Martin and Pinza recording evokes that war-time atmosphere as no other recording does. It also captures the hope of romance and love midst a planet at war.

A revival of "South Pacific" now that we are at war again should bring into relief the pain and suffering that war brings and make us question whether or not what we are fighting for is worth the ultimate sacrifices of our troops. According to reviews, this new production is very moving. Perhaps the recording is too,once you have seen the performance. Meanwhile, the 1949 recording appears to be definitive.

I saw the matinee on Wednesday, July 30. The performance was magnificent and very moving, and the production is outstanding. Loretta Ables Sayre is so much better on stage than on the recording. Her "Bali Ha'i" was spellbinding. All the other performers were terrific. A major highlight was Szot's "This Nearly was Mine." I still stand by my first assessment of the new recording: it does not consistently capture the overall depth of feelings in the show.