A dynamic and vibrant set by THTR Productions that features a lot of depth, textures and colors, forms the backdrop of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s sweeping musical epic, South Pacific, now playing on the GK Hardt stage at Santa Rosa’s 6th Street Playhouse through Sept. 20.
With many instantly recognizable songs, like the beautiful and beguiling “Bali Ha’i,” this drama will undoubtedly be a hit with those seeking an escape to a tropical paradise. Add to that the swoony interludes between leading lady Nellie Forbush—played on opening night by Alanna Weatherby, who alternates with Bethany Cox—and her dashing French lover Emil, played by Marc Assad.
There is much to appreciate about this gorgeous production directed by first-timer Malia Abayon. Abayon presents the audience with a new vision in regards to the presentation of the antiquated and prejudicial themes that made this musical so widely known when it premiered on Broadway in 1949. Rodgers and Hammerstein asked a post-World War II country to perhaps consider love, acceptance and understanding in the face of racism and rejection of the “other.”
Abayon succeeds in making some bold choices regarding how she presents the ill-fated “romance” of Marine Lt. Joseph Cable—Andrew Cedeño, with a soaring voice and musical theater skills that continue to astonish—and Tonkinese girl Liat, played by Kylee Fernandez, which caused the audience to buzz at intermission.
I found this relationship very uncomfortable, and I think this is the exact point—revealing how the white military occupiers objectified Indigenous women as either exotic sex objects, or within a mysterious “dragon lady” stereotype, which goes straight to the heart of the Bloody Mary character, played by a scene-stealing Eiko Moon-Yamamoto. Mary is also Liat’s mother, and pushes her towards the wealthy and handsome Marine. This love story is revealed to be a cautionary tale about colonization.
The more prominent romance between Nellie, a nurse from Arkansas, and Emil, a French free spirit, is abruptly written and requires a suspension of disbelief to buy into. But both Weatherby and Assad allow their moments to be quiet, not overwrought, leading to an almost bittersweet ending that could be interpreted as a dreamlike vision of something that could have been but perhaps never was.
It’s this veil of hazy fantasy in a literal paradise that makes South Pacific so intoxicating to American audiences.
‘South Pacific’ runs through Sept. 20 on the GK Hardt Stage at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth Street, Santa Rosa. Thu-Sat, 7:30pm; Sat-Sun, 2pm. $33-$57. 707.523.4185. 6thstreetplayhouse.com
