South Pacific: In Concert from Carnegie Hall (2006)

The Worst Film Ever

That was an excellent one.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

On the face of it, this version of 'South Pacific' is oddly cast, with the Queen of Country, Reba McEntire as Nellie, and Alec Baldwin as Luther - but it works! Brian Stokes Mitchell is perhaps the best Emile I've seen on stage or screen, and that's with some tough competition. McEntire is excellent despite the twang which comes through in all her songs; while Jason Daniely is a charming Cable. Lillias White is a fine (and rather younger than usual) Bloody Mary, while Alec Baldwin is a really fun Luther, even being game to wear the coconuts and grass skirts in the Honey Bun number.Good orchestrations, nice support, and a great set of supporting singers make this concert in the beautiful setting of Carnegie Hall well worth stopping channel changes for.

On the recommendation of my brother, I bought this DVD and I play this almost everyday. Over time I suppose enough will be enough but this unusual production is extraordinary. Yes, as another person wrote "imagination". Brian Stokes Mitchell commands the stage and even though the cast is fabulous, Reba McIntire perfect, Alec Baldwin amazing, Mr. Mitchell has this voice that you wonder "How Do You Do that!!" Such a voice, a presence, a gem of a performer. The actress who plays in this production the character of Bloody Mary is wonderful. It would be foolish not to catch this interpretation if you are a lover of all things creative. Great sound, the orchestra wonderful and let's be real, CARNEGIE HALL!!

SOUTH PACIFIC has never been one of my favorite musicals so I was initially unenthused at the thought of watching a concert version done live from Carnegie Hall, but decided to give it a chance when I learned that Brian Stokes Mitchell would be singing Emile DeBecque. As I suspected, Brian Stokes Mitchell's rich baritone and the role of DeBecque were a perfect fit, his rich, dark brown tone seemed to fill every inch of Carnegie Hall...his rendition of "This Nearly was Mine" literally stopped the show. Never one of my favorite songs, Stokes Mitchell, as he did when he played Don Quixote in MAN OF LA MANCHA, puts his own stamp on the song and I swear a chill went down my spine as he concluded the piece. Stokes Mitchell was flawless, as always, but the real surprise for me in this concert version was Reba McIntire singing Nellie Forbush. McIntire, who starred as Annie Oakley in ANNIE GET YOUR GUN on Broadway, made a surprisingly effective Nellie. Her marked southern drawl was less of a distraction in a concert version than I think it might have become in a full production. McIntire's interpretation of the songs was energetic and she acceptably masked the fact that "A Wonderful Guy" and "Honey Bun" were both a little out of her range. Lillias White was brilliant as Bloody Mary, one of the few times I have heard "Bali H'ai" and "Happy Talk" completely belted...her voice was lush and controlled and I don't think I have ever been so moved by "Bali H'ai" before. Jason Daniely's rendition of "Younger than Springtime" as Lt. Cable was lovely, but when the music stopped and he had to actually speak dialogue, he became stiff and uncomfortable to watch and I think Alec Baldwin was just miscast as Luther Billis. But the breathtaking musicianship of Brian Stokes Mitchell and Lillias White made this concert worth watching.

With orchestra up on stage, and the performers in ball gowns and tuxes, it plays well because we've become accustomed to 'old time radio' revivals on PBS.This goes one better, being a musical play, apparently being edited down from the full performance, and emphasizes the songs for the powerful and convincing way they are sung. If one didn't like the 'theawter' - seeing this might change one's mind. It seems these songs for Nellie Forbusch were written with a sort of down-home actress in mind. So it works beautifully for Reba. It's very easy for her to get into the emotion of the moment.And because we must use our imaginations, as with radio, the essential emotion is retained, even exaggerated. One may or may not be moved by the film, or the local high school play. One may more likely be distracted by various things. There's very little to distract, here. And the performers are pros. They hit the notes. They phrase the songs almost as if they were speaking or hearing them for the first time.It was dramatic for Reba to exit stage center as she rejects the children. It was almost a slapped on happy ending, and very brief, when he returns from the recon mission, and they go right to final bows. But even that works because it's expected, and it's iconic. Again, one fills in the blanks with their imagination.The only slight distraction, though I'm sure many would not agree, was the male extras cast, brought in for the 'stage show' scene and later for the mobilization to 'change the look of the Pacific War in that area'. It seemed like a lot of people running around that didn't need to be there. But the 'nurses', in stage black gowns, did work for the 'Wash that Man' number. Again, imagination.In short, it's an excellent rendition of the play, if only because it is moving for what isn't visually shown that you, the viewer, have to provide yourself. The story is clean. Most of the songs are either classics or fit right in with the plot at that point. Perhaps the play itself is that powerful, and that interesting. But whatever the case, it was an extremely successful performance, held one night only, and surely bound to receive any number of awards for the recording and video.You could watch this again and again. It's that good.