November 15th, 2018

The smell of the greasepaint, the roar of the crowd!  Or is that the other way 'round?

There is nothing quite like a live performance of, well, pretty much anything!  No you aren't going to have any CGI special effects so the wow isn't technology based.  Instead,  it's the electricity that fills the room originating from those people on stage who knock the audience out performance after performance, each time as if it was the first time.  Wow!

We have a live performance theatre right here on the island and in this, it's 69th season, on Tuesday night, I got to see "South Pacific" right there, on the stage, in front of me.  It was awesome.  The stage design was amazing,  the set changes were smooth and fast, the music was live (which in and of itself impresses me) and I had a terrific seat.  Smack in the center the audience with no tall person in front of me, I was so close to the action I almost felt as if I were on stage with the actors.

The singing was impressive.  It's always risky setting about to produce a musical, especially using local talent.  Lots of times there are great actors who aren't the best  singers, or singers who are terrible dancers or any other unfortunate combination and the directors are reduced to making the best of the less than best situation.  Venice must somehow be a mecca of incredibly talented people because all of the show was amazing: the acting, the singing and the dancing!  5 stars all the way across.

Well to be fair, there was one actor whose singing was less than stellar, but it was kind of in character for that character to not necessarily be the best singer in the world.  AND that character's acting was top notch, easily one of the top three in the show so I will give that person a pass ;)  (as if it were up to me to make these sorts of decisions - hah!)

I had a great time and I'm so glad I went.  I hadn't been to a live performance of anything since our first Christmas here when Tim and I went to see "A Christmas Carol" which was also a marvelous production.  I'm not sure why we haven't been back, just, somehow, we didn't  which makes no sense at all considering all of the amazing shows they do every single year!  So when some ladies from my Pilates class got together and decided to go to this play and invited me to join them, I said, "Heck yeah!"  No hesitation at all.

Of course, now I have the score of South Pacific lodged firmly in my head and I cannot get it out.  I "Washed That Man Outta My Hair" while taking a shower this morning and I crooned, "Bali Hai" to myself last night when I was trying to fall asleep. (sigh) Actually I was both pleased and surprised to discover that I still knew all of the words to all of the songs in the show.  I kind of sang along quietly to myself during the show.  It's been a Very Long Time since I saw this show the first time so I am particularly impressed with my memory.

The film, South Pacific, with Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Grazzi, came out in 1958.  I was only 5 years old at that time so I'm pretty sure I didn't see it in a  movie theatre.  At least not a first run theatre.  Maybe it was on television that I first saw it on one of those AMC type channels where they show old black & white movies all of the time.  I love those channels and often watch it while ironing. So needless to say, it was quite some time.  So long in fact, that I had forgotten most of the details of the storyline.  But there is something about the music that sticks with me.  I almost always remember the music.  

So, earworm aside, it was a delightful experience and I am now reminding myself to go to more live performances.  And if they happen to be musicals, I know that I will sing along quietly to myself during the show and also that I will have the music stuck in my head for a long time afterward.  Not a terrible price to pay for a wonderful experience!
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