"South Pacific" reunion concert
Posted by: jerseymerle 03:35 pm EST 12/10/24

Last night's "South Pacific" benefit concert at Lincoln Center reuniting the cast of the 2008 revival packed an emotional punch, from both the soulful acting and the timeliness of the issue of racism.

Kelli O'Hara sparkled on stage (figuratively and literally, in a gorgeous sequined dress). She can still do cartwheels! Paulo Szot somehow sounded even better than he did in 2008, with a rich mature voice, and earned the longest applause after his numbers. Danny Burstein couldn't resist ad-libbing "Sing out, Louise!" to the crowd's delight. I was happy to see Matthew Morrison, who when I saw the show 16 years ago had been replaced by his excellent understudy Andrew Samonsky (this time a sturdy presence in the ensemble). He sounded a little raspy, as if battling a cold, but his acting smoldered.

Part of the fun was enjoying in the ensemble performers I have since seen shine in bigger roles, such as Lisa Howard, William Michals, and Noah Weisberg. Another humorous note was that Emile's children were played by the original actors, who have obviously grown up but are still younger than the rest of the cast, so it kind of worked.
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