Published: September 01, 2007
Stage Review: South Pacific
By Robert Hitchcox 
We walked from our car to the U.S.S. Midway, up a long ramp and stairs amidships to the hanger deck, then to the aft, yet more stairs to the flight deck, then past the bridge to the bow.
There, with seating for hundreds, a full moon to the starboard, the night sky as a backdrop, the overture playing, we sat down in the clear night air in the most perfect of locations to see and hear the perennial favorite South Pacific. Director Tom Schmidt, in a moment of pure genius, picked the ideal location.
The 14-piece orchestra (South Pacific Orchestra), under the baton of Sandy Adams, is excellent. It is larger than most road show productions and, even larger than some Broadway shows in NYC. The overture, the stars, the moon, and the Midway brought us into the mood for South Pacific. Richard Rogers' music never sounded better.
The mood was set when Emile de Beque's children, Ngana and Jerome (Julia Way and Parker Shyu) opened with "Dites Moi." Soon Nellie (Maeve Martin) gave us "A Cockeyed Optimist." Emile (Bill Nolan) blew the audience away with the ever popular "Some Enchanted Evening." Leave it to Luther Billis (Eric Vest) and the sailors to get us into a rollicking mood with "There is Nothing Like a Dame" and Bloody Mary (Stephanie Hargrove) to change the mood to dreaming with "Bali Ha'i."
The principals in South Pacific are all excellent actors and outstanding vocalists. Act II's "Happy Talk" is well done with Bloody Mary, Liat (Cecile Pham), and Lt. Cable (Andrew Smith). South Pacific, which has been on the boards somewhere for over 58 years, probably has more recognizable songs than any other musical. "Younger than Springtime," "A Wonderful Guy," and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair" come to mind as well as the ones already mentioned.
I cannot give Scenic Designer Paul Russell any credit for the moon and evening sky, but he certainly did a lot to give the feel of the many locations.
Lighting Designer Travis Russell was tasked with giving a lot of variety in lighting to the long narrow stage. Sound Designer/Engineer Larry McNamer had the huge job of miking all of the principals and some of the supporting cast as well as the orchestra. It all worked well, even with a helicopter flying by, other ships, and the general noise of the bay.
The talents of Choreographer Susan DeLeon were expressed by the ensemble as well as the principals in several numbers. With a cast of over thirty, plus the 14-piece orchestra, this can only be described as a big show. The large cast performed almost flawlessly. South Pacific is certainly a feel-good experience.
The audience was definitely wowed! I hope you have the opportunity to see the show. I'm just sorry I couldn't mention everybody in the cast.
South Pacific plays through September 2nd with all performances at 8 p.m. The U.S.S. Midway is moored at the U.S. Navy dock just south of the foot of Broadway.
For tickets and information please call 800 696-1929. Be sure to get there early both for good parking and for a chance to tour the hangar and flight decks, both loaded with displays and a large variety of aircraft. Also, I should add, you will be doing a lot of walking aboard the ship.
Date Reviewed August 26, 2007
Show Title South Pacific
Rating *** Three Stars
Dates August 29-31, September 1 & 2, 2007, 8 p.m.
Box Office Phone 800 696-1929
Running Time 147 minutes with a 25 minute intermission
Genre Musical
Music Richard Rogers
Lyrics Oscar Hammerstein II
Book Hammerstein II & Joshua Logan
Cast
Maeve Martin, Bill Nolan, Eric Vest, Stephanie Hargrove, Andrew Smith, Cecile Pham, Donal Pugh, Guy LaPlante, Julia Way, Parker Shyu, Noe Espinoza, John Sweeney, Patrick Schmidt, Brian O'Cooney, Tim Manns, Kit Medina, Jon Jeffers, Garrett Harris, Dan Clarkson, Jeff Follin, Meghan Dixon, Karen House, Anne Westgate, Melissa Rivera, Sarah Gates, Amy Northcutt, Holly Hull, Jennifer Hovey, Julie Love, Rebecca Duckworth, Kelli Flandi, Sabrina Wahine, Chelsea Johnson, Michael Schmidt
Musicians
Jennifer Spicer, Gabriela Bliss, Kate Stahl, Gina Bliss, Zachary Kmak, Andrea Mikolon, Art Mikolon, Tim Haenisch, Mark Parton, Lalane Haenisch, Kirk Adams, David Adams, Brian Fleming, Valerie Victor
Technical Staff
Conductor Sandy Adams, AD Nancy Skinner
Costumer Michele Ninness
Scenic Design Paul Russell
Lighting Design Travis Russell
Sound Design/Engineer Larry McNamer
Production/Tech Director Nick McNamer
Stage Manager Alicia Johnson
Director Tom Schmidt
Musical Director/Conductor Sandy Adams
Choreographer Susan DeLeon
CCT Theater Christian Community Theatre
1545 Pioneer Way
El Cajon, CA 92020
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