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Newspaper Clippings

SOUTH PACIFIC (1988)

Macclesfield Express

"South Pacific was second to none"

Roger and Hammerstein's "South Pacific" was Macclesfield Majestic Theatre Group's first venture into American Musicals 16 years ago.

Last month the group staged it again in a production that was second to none.

The excitement in the powerful wartime tale of love and prejudice was maintained throughout the two and a half hour production by perfect casting of the central characters who gave the plot its credibility.

Ensign Nellie Forbush, the "little hick" from Little Rock who falls in love with the sophisticated French plantation owner, Emil de Becque, was played to perfection by Sheila Gaskell who managed to convey vivacity, ingenuousness and "cockeyed optimism" in just the right proportions.

The fine baritone voice of Lewis Pritchard, as the Becque, was memorable in the musical's hit songs "Some Enchanted Evening" and "This Nearly Was Mine", as were his duets with Sheila "I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" and "This is how it feels".

For "Dites-Moi", they were joined by the young brother and sister, Louise and Andrew Hofton, who played de Becque's Polynesian children.

In keeping with MMTG tradition, where the show calls for a comical character, David McGuiness is to the fore. In "South Pacific", he swapped his pantomime dame's flowery frock for a South Sea island grass skirt to give an hilarious performance as the likeable rogue, Luther Billis.

Another comical scamp, a female one this time, is the character, Bloody Mary, and Ann Bennett's portrayal of this Tonkanese match and mischief maker was peerless.

The man she schemes to make son-in-law Lt. Joseph Cable, was played by Andrew Lebeter whose dreamy good looks and light tenor voice were ideal for the part. I particularly enjoyed his "Younger than Springtime" sung by Liat, who was played by Susan Sims.

As one has come to expect from the Majestic Theatre Group shows, the principal characters received unstinting dramatic and vocal support from a very experienced male and female chorus, several of whom - Peter Mannion, as Stewpot, Kevin Clarke, as the Professor and Don Risely, as Seaman Tom O'Brien (singer of the deep bass part in "There is Nothing Like a Dame") - were mini characters in themselves.

Chorus Mistress, Kath Ibbotson, and choreographer, Gillian Hulme, are to be congratulated on their work in this musical, along with Keith Yearsley, the Musical Director and his group of talented musicians.

The producer, Peter Clough is new to MMTG although not to "South Pacific", having played Luther Bliss twice, and produced the show twice for other amateur companies