South Pacific…. “saxy”, sexy!

What a treat it was, the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, South Pacific, back again in Sydney at the Opera House for another season.

Judging by the appreciation shown by the audience,  I’m sure it is back again by popular demand. Every song was greeted with rapturous, well-deserved applause.

Teddy Tahu Rhodes, who plays Emile, possesses the richest and most mellow bass baritone I have heard for a long, long time.  He has tremendous presence and delivers every song with feeling.

Lisa McCune was a lovely and sincere Nellie with a sweet and true voice and Christine Anu shone as Bloody Mary.

There was a secondary story too with  Nellie trying to come to terms with her torn feelings for Emile and the American GI who falls for an island girl and who finally sings with passion, “You’ve got to be carefully taught” to be racist.  50 years later it seems nothing has changed.

The rest of the cast were great too, and I think the loudest applause and cat calls went to the rousing lament from the sailors, There is Nothing Like a Dame.

“We ain’t got nothing to put on a clean white suit for, What is it that there ain’t no sub ta toot for?”  Nobody writes lyrics like that any more!

It was a joyous night – you can’t say that sitting at home watching TV, can you?!