| NEWS |
  
|
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
Pennington Players Presents Entertaining Production Of Beloved Musical at Washington Crossing Theatre
Nancy Plum
The musicals so far this summer at Washington Crossing's Open Air Theatre have been slightly off the beaten track, but Pennington Players has turned to an old standard for their two-week run. On the surface, there may seem to be little that one can do to unhinge Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, and the current Pennington Players production certainly covers all the bases adequately. However, what really sets productions of this musical apart is capturing the nuances underlying the rather basic story and the appealing songs.
South Pacific was premiered in 1949 and is part of a trilogy of Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals based on a similar premise. South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music all center on a dispirited widower whose heart is melted by a chipper young waif deposited by circumstances in a strange environment. In the case of South Pacific, the plot is interwoven with holdover World War II prejudices which may be hard for today's audiences to fathom, but which form the root of the show's tension and conflict. Attention to these dramatic details is what raises South Pacific productions from the basically entertaining production of Pennington Players to being truly exceptional.
Friday night's performance (the show opened on Thursday night) demonstrated from the outset that this play is especially well-suited for the Open Air Theatre. Pete LaBriola's standing set included many tropical-looking plants and seemed to grow naturally from the woods behind and surrounding the stage.
Music Director Lou Woodruff also made it clear from the beginning that he was not wasting any time with tempi. South Pacific begins with a typical 1940s Broadway overture which insists on presenting all the tunes of the show. Mr. Woodruff, with his crisp pit orchestra, kept the tempi moving in both the overture and songs, especially moving the second acts songs so quickly that the singers almost could not keep up.
South Pacific revolves around the principal couple of Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque, played by Joanna Woodruff and John Kling. Like the King of Siam and Captain von Trapp characters which followed in later Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals, de Becque's arrogant exterior hides an ultimately unhappy man whose spirit is brought back to life by a chipper female lead character. Mr. Kling had no trouble with the songs, which fit well into his voice, but his character did not display enough of the rough edges to show the impact of Nellie as she enraptures him. In this portrayal, de Becque is a little too willing to help the American soldiers, and the sense of racial conflict over bringing his children to his new relationship could have been stronger.
As Nellie, Joanna Woodruff was endlessly perky and sang with a lot of energy and clarity. Ms. Woodruff also displayed an appropriate amount of innocence about being relocated to this foreign land, and interacted well with the nurses in the ensemble scenes.
The best voice of the evening belonged to James Petro, portraying Lt. Joseph Cable. Although the Open Air Theatre sound system made his top register sound a little blasty at times, Mr. Petro sang clearly through very brisk tempi, and his light tenor voice matched his naive character. Mr. Petro's character was joined in his quest for true love by an effervescent and sassy Bloody Mary, played by Cheryl Kurtz Mills.
Music Director Woodruff and vocal Director John Kling have trained an impressive group of sailors and marines who sing some of the most memorable numbers in the show. Nicole Farina's choreography was visually appealing when paired with the colorful costumes designed by the mother/daughter team of Adrienne and Sharon Kubiak. The children in the cast fit in well with the rest of the characters, especially Rebecca Gerecke and Isaiah Jaron Davis, whose French pronunciation was impressive.
Despite a few dramatic nuances which perhaps cannot be accommodated in an outdoor production, Director Tom Bessellieu has created a show whose memorable tunes cannot be beat on a summer night. As the show moves into its second week, it will no doubt continue to entertain the audiences coming to the Open Air Theatre for a song they can hum along with.
South Pacific will continue at Washington Crossing's Open Air Theatre August 11-14. Ticket information can be obtained by calling the Open Air Theatre box office at (609) 737-1826.
