James D Sasser as Emile and Natalie Ballenger as Nellie in TUTS South Pacific. Photography by Melissa Taylor
Back on stage for the first time since cutting short their run of The Little Mermaid, Theatre Under the Stars made it up to audiences with a stellar production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific. It is immediately clear that this is not TUTS first rodeo with producing South Pacific as the TUTS preshow video features pictures of their first South Pacific production on the Miller Outdoor Theater in 1972, and the directors note says they've also produced revivals in 1975, 1980, 1994, and 2010. TUTS proves that South Pacific is a timeless classic, as the audience members, both young and old, were waiting with eager anticipation for the show to begin, and their emotion swelled within the first notes of the Overture performed by the live 26-piece orchestra, alongside the solo ballet by Liat.
TUTS never fails to impress with its cast selection, as the South Pacific cast has talent often only seen on Broadway. While some lead performers have indeed been on Broadway, many are Houston residents and graduates from local colleges. The cast is supported by an ensemble of local teens from their high school musical theater school, however you could not tell these actors apart from the main cast as they were just as talented. The vocal talent across the cast was incredible. Every song felt strong, and no scene left me feeling underwhelmed. Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque, played by Natalie Ballenger and James D Sasser, respectively, sang beautiful duets and maintained intense chemistry throughout the show. When they weren't fawning over each other, their passion continued to radiate through their solos. The other characters like Lieutenant Cable and Bloody Mary sang beautiful ballads that helped bring the audience along on their journey.
As usual, the lighting and sets were professionally crafted to contribute visually to the show without drawing attention away from the story or the acting. The set pieces were designed to establish location and create ambiance without being in the way or visually obtrusive, by minimizing set dressing and props to focus on the actors. There were scenes with only a sand hill and a palm tree, accented by beautiful sunset lighting to place the action on the shores of the pacific, while other scenes featured weathered, arched doorways and wooden shutters to designate Emile's house without needing more expansive set dressing. The lighting enhanced each of these scenes to round out the emotion and setting of the songs while helping to pull the audience into the adventure.
If you have a chance to catch this beautiful show this week before it closes on Sunday, February 20th, I strongly encourage you to do so. The talent, music, and scenery from the team at TUTS come together for a wonderful revival of South Pacific. For more information about South Pacific and other upcoming shows at Theatre Under the Stars, please visit www.TUTS.com. For more Houston theater updates, tune into my KTRU specialty show “Showstoppers” weekly on Sundays from 1:45 to 2:45 pm on-air and online at ktru.org.