Whoa, Nellie! Classic musical hits town
BY SUSAN SCAFFIDI Contributing writer
There are many candidates for the title "Greatest Musical of All Time," and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" certainly qualifies as one of them.
"South Pacific," based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Tales of the South Pacific," first opened on Broadway in 1949. It won 10 Tony Awards and ran for five years. The show has been revived several times; a 2008 revival at the Lincoln Center earned another eight Tony Awards, including awards for the direction and production values.
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'South Pacific'
Where: Rabobank Theater, 1001 Truxtun Ave.
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Tickets: Start at $26.50, Rabobank Theater box office, or Ticketmaster
A touring production of "South Pacific" will stop in Bakersfield for one performance on at 7:30 Tuesday at the Rabobank Theater, as part of the Broadway in Bakersfield season.
"This tour that I'm currently in is based on the Lincoln Center revival in 2008," said Cathy Foy-Mahi, who performs the role of Bloody Mary.
"This Bloody Mary has many, many layers; she's not the typical Bloody Mary people may have come to know in the film or many productions," said Foy-Mahi.
"First, she's a professional business woman, selling her wares to the military personnel," Foy-Mahi said. "Second, she's a mother who is deeply protective of her daughter.
"She does everything in her power to get her daughter off the island and provide a better life for her," Foy-Mahi said. "And when she sees Lt. Cable, she decides he's the one to do that for her."
"South Pacific" is set during World War II on an island U.S. Navy base in the Pacific Theater. Two love stories play out against this background -- Lt. Nellie Forbush and French planter Emile Le Becque, and Lt. Joe Cable and the native girl, Liat. It's a very serious story, not just because of the realities of the war, but because both love stories are darkened by racial prejudice. Nellie rejects Emile because he has two mixed-race children from his Polynesian wife, who has died; Joe rejects Liat because he cannot face the prospect of marrying a woman of another race.
Songs such as "Some Enchanted Evening," "Younger Than Springtime," "Bali Hai," "A Cockeyed Optimist," "There is Nothing Like a Dame" and others have become popular standards. But one song, "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught," turned what would have otherwise been a conventional musical into a thought-provoking and controversial production, especially in 1949.
The song, sung by Lt. Cable, is an attempt to explain why he and Nellie felt forced into rejection -- that it's not something they're born with, but something they learn in childhood. The frank discussion of prejudice generated both great praise and condemnation during the show's first run, and even prompted some discussion of cutting the song from the show, an idea that was eventually rejected by Rodgers, Hammerstein, co-writer and producer Joshua Logan, and Michener himself.
Foy-Mahi said she's really amazed at the show's lasting relevance.
"Here I am, singing these songs and saying these words that were written over 60 years ago," Foy-Mahi said. "The thoughts and the message and the music still ring true."
Foy-Mahi said her experience with the tour is that the show has timeless appeal, and seems to reach audiences of all ages.
"We see people in the audience singing along," Foy-Mahi said.
She said the cast has also had a chance to interact with schoolchildren at some points in the tour.
"Children who don't even know about the background just love the music," Foy-Mahi said.
"It's a very simple musical," Foy-Mahi said. "We may not have flying insects or falling chandeliers, but it's a wonderful, timeless show."
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