On the Road blog: OPENING NIGHT SUCCESS

by Brendan Lemon

There's a certain song title from "South Pacific" that for 60 years has been used as a party theme to the point of cliché. But on Tuesday, September 22, in San Francisco, the cliché fit. Don't take my word for it: the theater critic of the San Francisco Chronicle used that familiar theme in the opening sentence of his review: "It's some enchanted evening, all right," wrote Robert Hurwitt.

Hurwitt and his critical colleagues launched the national tour of "South Pacific" with glowing notices, but I was more interested in what the cast members experienced that night at the Golden Gate Theatre, where the show is running through October 25, so I turned to a couple of the actors.

Both Mike Evariste, an ensemble member who also plays Henry, and Eric L. Christian, of the ensemble, are veterans of the road: Evariste has done "Rent," "Smokey Joe's Café," and "FAME," and Christian has toured with "Aida," "Chicago," and "Carousel." But they both seemed to think that the "South Pacific" opening night was special.

"The audience was really responsive," said Evariste. "We got reports backstage that some members were so affected they were crying and that others were humming and singing the songs in the lobby at intermission."

For more rehearsal photos, click here.

Christian concurs. "We got a standing ovation on opening night, and on the night after. That was a big relief for the cast, not because we were worried that we weren't good, but because we'd all been working so hard to become a team and we hoped that our effort would come across."

Evariste, who was a member from the beginning of the this production's first go-round at Lincoln Center Theater in New York, added, "During previews at Lincoln Center we were kind of nervous. The show hadn't been on Broadway for 60 years, so we all felt this obligation to make it as good as possible. The pressure on the tour cast leading up to San Francisco was a little different: everyone knew that the show had won seven Tonys in New York, and people wanted to live up to that reputation."

Audiences and reviewers agreed that they had. But what about the opening-night party - the reward for all the cast and creative team's toil? Well, it was held at the Great American Music Hall, on O'Farrell Street, which has been around since 1907.

"There was a backdrop there in the spirit of the show," said Christian, who is coming off a long stint with "South Pacific" in New York. "It's such a great atmosphere: food, drink, a d.j. Bart [Sher, the director of the production] gave a speech, and said how proud he was of us." Evariste added: "Bart's speech was inspiring. He wished us luck on the road, and said he was confident that we would spread the story of 'South Pacific' all over the country."

Other important figures in this staging of the Rodgers & Hammerstein show were also in attendance on opening night: Bob Boyett, the producer; Bernard Gersten, the executive producer of Lincoln Center Theater, or as he calls it, "the mother country"; and Ted Chapin, president and executive director of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.

"I didn't see anyone at the party," Evariste said, "who didn't seem to be having a good time."

END

On the Road blog: Opening Night Success

by Brendan Lemon

There's a certain song title from "South Pacific" that for 60 years has been used as a party theme to the point of cliché. But on Tuesday, September 22, in San Francisco, the cliché fit. Don't take my word for it: the theater critic of the San Francisco Chronicle used that familiar theme in the opening sentence of his review: "It's some enchanted evening, all right," wrote Robert Hurwitt.

Hurwitt and his critical colleagues launched the national tour of "South Pacific" with glowing notices, but I was more interested in what the cast members experienced that night at the Golden Gate Theatre, where the show is running through October 25, so I turned to a couple of the actors.

Both Mike Evariste, an ensemble member who also plays Henry, and Eric L. Christian, of the ensemble, are veterans of the road: Evariste has done "Rent," "Smokey Joe's Café," and "FAME," and Christian has toured with "Aida," "Chicago," and "Carousel." But they both seemed to think that the "South Pacific" opening night was special.

"The audience was really responsive," said Evariste. "We got reports backstage that some members were so affected they were crying and that others were humming and singing the songs in the lobby at intermission."

Christian concurs. "We got a standing ovation on opening night, and on the night after. That was a big relief for the cast, not because we were worried that we weren't good, but because we'd all been working so hard to become a team and we hoped that our effort would come across."

Evariste, who was a member from the beginning of the this production's first go-round at Lincoln Center Theater in New York, added, "During previews at Lincoln Center we were kind of nervous. The show hadn't been on Broadway for 60 years, so we all felt this obligation to make it as good as possible. The pressure on the tour cast leading up to San Francisco was a little different: everyone knew that the show had won seven Tonys in New York, and people wanted to live up to that reputation."

Audiences and reviewers agreed that they had. But what about the opening-night party - the reward for all the cast and creative team's toil? Well, it was held at the Great American Music Hall, on O'Farrell Street, which has been around since 1907.

"There was a backdrop there in the spirit of the show," said Christian, who is coming off a long stint with "South Pacific" in New York. "It's such a great atmosphere: food, drink, a d.j. Bart [Sher, the director of the production] gave a speech, and said how proud he was of us." Evariste added: "Bart's speech was inspiring. He wished us luck on the road, and said he was confident that we would spread the story of 'South Pacific' all over the country."

Other important figures in this staging of the Rodgers & Hammerstein show were also in attendance on opening night: Bob Boyett, the producer; Bernard Gersten, the executive producer of Lincoln Center Theater, or as he calls it, "the mother country"; and Ted Chapin, president and executive director of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.

"I didn't see anyone at the party," Evariste said, "who didn't seem to be having a good time."

END

South Pacific at the San Francisco Bay

Last Thursday, the men of SOUTH PACIFIC hit the high seas! Or, more accurately, the calm waters of the San Francisco Bay, while safely docked the entire time at Pier 3 on the Embarcadero. Whether or not we ever actually left port, we definitely had a great time aboard the California Hornblower, in support of the upcoming Fleet Week in San Francisco. It was a ton of fun to perform NOTHIN' LIKE A DAME for the folks aboard this craft, and feeling the stage floor rock beneath my feet during our performance was a new experience for me that really brought some verisimilitude to the whole evening! Check out some photos from the event!

BACKSTAGE BLOG: Catching Up With Carmen Cusack

by Brendan
Lemon

Brendan Lemon: Before doing Nellie Forbush in this tour of South Pacific, had you ever appeared in a Rodgers and Hammerstein show before?

Carmen Cusack: No, I have never appeared in a Rodgers and Hammerstein show before. Although I have known and loved their music since I was little.

BL: Where did you grow up and when did
you start performing?

CC: I grew up mainly in Houston, Texas.
I started singing solos for church at age 5.

BL: Where did you study music and
acting?

CC: I started learning music and acting
in high school and competed in both. I then went on to major in opera at University of North Texas.

BL: What was your first professional
role?

CC: My first role was the prostitute
part -- she had a name but I can't remember it -- in "Can-Can" at Casa Mañana theatre in Fort Worth, Texas.

BL: Have you toured with a show before?
How do you stay healthy on the road?

CC: Yes, I have toured many a show but
I would say my most challenging role on tour would be Elphaba in "Wicked." At the sign of a tickle in the throat I took zinc and vitamin C, ate lots of healthy food, drank lots of water, steamed, and tried to rest as much as possible.

BL: What was the first time you saw
South Pacific onstage?

CC: I first saw South Pacific at the National Theatre in London. It was directed by Trevor Nunn. I remember thinking that the part of Nellie looked a ton of fun!

BL: How does this production of "South
Pacific" compare with the other versions of the show you've seen?

CC: My most recent viewing of "South
Pacific" was at Lincoln Center in NYC. It floored me. It was so different from my previous experience. Director Bartlett Sher really brought out the interesting shades of the piece and gave the story so much more depth.

BL: Can you compare Nellie to any of
the other major roles you've done?

CC: I cannot compare Nellie to anything
else I have done so far. It is not at all like any other part I have played. I am still pinching myself that I get to play her!

BL: How do you keep Nellie from being
too much of a knucklehead?

CC: Well, I don't really see Nellie as
a "knucklehead" at all. I see her as fun, warm, and spiky at times.
She is a product of her environment but she is not dim. She is forced to face her prejudices and becomes enlightened by love.

For more photos go to our South Pacific on tour Facebook Page.

END

Backstage Blog: THE BALLAD OF JOE CABLE

by Brendan Lemon

You might not think it to look at him, but Anderson Davis, who plays Lt. Joe Cable, was an oboist in high school. It isn't that I think oboists come in a particular size and shape, it's just that when you hear Davis sing you can't believe that this native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana wasn't always performing on the stage, not in the pit below it.

"My first exposure to musicals, really, was playing in the high school orchestra"

Davis said recently over coffee at a Starbuck's near South Pacific's New York rehearsal room. "It took a lot of air to play the oboe, and a lot of focus. You can get a little light in the head."

So why did he transition to the stage? (His first musical as a performer was "Anything Goes.") "I wanted to do something more physically active," he says - a remark that made perfect sense to me after I spent five minutes in Davis's company. You could power a small city with his stay-up-all-night-and-still-do-two-shows-the-next-day energy.

Since graduating from Carnegie-Mellon's theater program three years ago, that energy has been steadily harnessed. Davis has done the classics ("Les Miz," "Damn Yankees," "Forum") and some lesser-known stuff ("Homemade Fusion"). He appreciates the opportunities provided by musicals, as well as the pay, but he would like to do a straight drama at some point. "And my biggest dream as an actor," he adds, "is to do something new."

If that something new happened to be by Adam Guettel, I suspect that Davis's enthusiasm would be so boundless he might need a whole bottle of Valium to restore his equilibrium. "Adam Guettel keeps my hope alive for the musical theater - makes me feel that it has a future," Davis comments. Referring to a 1998 Guettel song cycle, Davis adds, "I directed a production of 'Myths and Hymns' at Carnegie-Mellon, which I enjoyed a lot."

For more rehearsal photos, click here.

Davis is aware, of course, of the connection between Guettel and South Pacific director Bartlett Sher (Sher directed Guettel's "The Light in the Piazza"), but the actor speaks of his director in more general terms. "Bart is so good at telling a story," Davis says. "That's not always the main priority with musicals. I'm grateful to be a part of that."

Doing eight shows a week may satisfy Davis's interpretive side, but it doesn't quite harness his creative mojo. "I have a little recording studio in my apartment," he says, "and I'm always playing around there." And who are his songwriting inspirations?

"Jeff Buckley, for sure," Davis says. "And Bjork: going to one of her concerts is as close as I've been to heaven on earth."

I cannot terminate this blog entry without mentioning New Orleans. Davis's two brothers live there, having been washed out by Katrina and moving back.

"They have this big instrument they've put together called the Drum Cart,"

Davis says. "It basically consists of two drum kits fused together into a kind of mini float. They play it at special occasions and at big parades. My usual job is to pull it along." Davis says that during the "SP" tour's week off after its first engagement in San Francisco, he plans to go to New Orleans for its annual Halloween celebration.

"The Drum Cart will be out in full force. The general theme for our costuming will be something along the Medical experiment/genetic manipulation line."

"Young Frankenstein"? I ask. "Sounds like it," Davis replies.

For more photos from the rehearsal, follow the link to the South Pacific on Tour Facebook page.

END