The run of South Pacific at The 5th Avenue Theatre is finally coming to an end this weekend. While most of the people reading this have probably already gone and seen this impressive musical revival and slightly updated work by director and rising 
star Bart Sher, I still want to urge those that have not had the chance, to go before it leaves town on Sunday February 21st.
This production truly took my breath away and represents the new aspriation for touring productions across the nation. Whether or not you have seen and love the original, this production is sure to sweep you off your feet.
Audiences are treated to a 26-piece orchestra which a rarity in Broadway tours. “It’s quite a large orchestra, almost as large as on Broadway, and that was a big commitment that the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization wanted and the touring producers wanted, so it would feel as lush and complete aurally as it does in New York,” said Sher.
And that orchestra is 
playing such timeless classics as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair.”
My one disappointment is with South Pacific in general and not specifically with this production. The musical spends too much time on Emile and not enough on the handsome Lieutenant Cable. And not to sound cliché but that is neither here nor there.
The Stranger News says it best, that “Sher found exactly what South Pacific wants to be and gave it wings. For big Broadway shows, it doesn’t get much better.”
For more info and tickets, visit www.5thavenue.org.
