South Pacific

Venue: New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham

Dates: 7-18th February 2012

Following a highly acclaimed  run at the Barbican in London’s West End, South Pacific arrived in Birmingham to sell out performances. This classic Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical follows the lives of a group of nurses and sailors working out on a tropical island in the South Pacific in World War II. The main focus of the storyline is the different kinds of people that the American workers meet, and fall in love  with.

Lieutenant Joe Cable arrives on the island to complete a secret mission, to watch the Japanese fleet ships and inform the US Navy if they intend to attack any of the pacific islands were the sailors are currently living. Cable and his commanding officers try to convince Emile De Beke to go along on the mission, as a man who has lived on the island most of his life, he is in a better position to keep himself and Cable hidden out of sight. Emile declines the mission due to wanting to remain safe at home with the intention to marry.

Nurse Nellie Forbush is the central character of the story. We follow her as she falls in love with the french man Emile De Beke. They arrange to get married and seem ridiculously happy…until Nellie learns that Emile has two children from a previous wife who was a different race. Nellie cannot comprehend the throught of two people who are not the same race being in a relationship together, and calls off their engagement.

Joe Cable takes a trip to the forbidden island of Bali Hai  before embarking on his mission. Bali Hai is the place were the sailors can go to if they want some company with a young french woman. Cable meets Liat, a young tonkanese woman whom he instantly falls in love with, but still leaves her the morning after as he knows that their relationship would never be accepted.

Emile decides to join Cable on the mission after Nellie breaks off their engagement. The two men venture behind enemy lines to attempt to potentially save the lives of hundreds of men, as neither can be with the woman they love due to the society in which they live in.

The role of Nellie Forbush was due to be played by Samantha Womack, who is well known for playing the role of baby stealing Ronnie Mitchell in Eastenders, however, due to illness she was unable to make any of the performances at the Birmingham venue. The role was instead played by her understudy Carly Anderson, who really was exceptional in the part, and night after night performed such tracks as ‘I’m gonna wash that man right out of my hair’ and ‘I’m in love with a wonderful guy’ to raucous applause. Matthew Cammelle played the role of Emile, giving a truly beautiful rendition of the much loved classic ‘Some Enchanted Evening’. Other stunning performances were given by Daniel Koek as Lieutenant Cable, and Lorettta Ables Sayre who played the tonkanese market stall owner and mother of Cable’s lover Liat.

South Pacific is a very old school musical which has definitely not reached it’s end. It was thoroughly enjoyed by audience members of all ages, largely due to the fantastic cast and highly practical and believeable set.