South Pacific: A classic tale of love, acceptance and self-discovery

MANILA, Philippines - Love, lust and danger collide in a fictitious tropical paradise somewhere in the South Pacific. Sounds intriguing, right? Add a contentious social issue and a string of rhapsodic melodies with lines that tug at the heart, then you have a show that will go down in history.

There already was this kind of show, and its Tonys-laden legacy — with several hit revivals — has already cemented its status as one of the greats. South Pacific, the groundbreaking Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1949, breathed life into James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1947-novel, Tales of the South Pacific. The story and the music chronicle the lives of American navy men and their interactions with a diverse group of colonial and indigenous people during World War II on a mystical island in, as the title suggests, the South Pacific.

With its endearing characters, rousing storylines and fearless depiction of racial discrimination brought about by the American prejudice of times past — not to mention, its debut a few years after the war — South Pacific became a massive success; a brilliant, humorous and thought-provoking masterpiece that continues to defy time. And for the first time in Philippine history, South Pacific in Concert comes to Resorts World Manila on Sept. 12 and 19, with an all-Filipino cast — who are the best and brightest in the industry.

“All the songs are beautiful,” said veteran performer-turned-director Menchu Launchengco-Yulo during The STAR’s exclusive one-on-one with the crew. The director, beaming with pride and passion, expresses her joy now that her latest baby is only a few weeks away from being born in front of a Filipino crowd.

How can she not be ecstatic over something that was just a mere thought before? According to her, South Pacific is the kind of musical that is difficult to recreate locally. The challenges go beyond the need to address the physical requirements of the show — aircrafts, hypnotic islands, romantic shores, world war, name it. But Menchu and the entire team found a way to make it happen. 

“South Pacific is hard to stage, how do you cast it here? You need a French man, Americans and Polynesians? Plus the story tackles racial discrimination, how can American Nellie Forbush and Bloody Mary, a Tonkinese woman, be of the same race?” said Menchu on the imminent challenge they had to face. But this initial roadblock didn’t stop them. Menchu relied on her vast knowledge of the theater and came up with an answer — do it in concert style.

“This will be like the shows they do in New York and London; it’s not quite the musical and not quite the concert. It’s like the concert version of Les Miserables at The Royal Albert Hall with Lea (Salonga). The 40-piece orchestra will be on stage, there will be no constructed sets, the actors are not in full costume, but the essential scenes and lines are there. If you do it in concert format, then the show will mainly be about the beautiful music,” shared Menchu.

Indeed, doing it in concert style eliminates much of the physical and other tangible demands that make most world-renowned musicals difficult to reproduce. With this format, the more important elements will be pushed to the fore — the songs, the voices and of course, the message. South Pacific boasts of entrancing tunes like Some Enchanted Evening, There’s Nothing Like A Dame, I’m In Love With This Wonderful Guy, Younger Than Springtime and This Nearly Was Mine, to name a few. Menchu added that if there will be a clamor for this kind of show, then it will open doors. Now, we can stage more ambitious and larger-than-life musicals like Oklahoma, for instance. 

The STAR was given an opportunity to chat with some of the leads who have already proven themselves on legitimate stages across the globe.

International and award-winning veteran stage performer, Joanna Ampil (who once played Kim in Miss Saigon and both Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables) will give life to Ensign Nellie Forbush, a naïve American nurse deployed to the South Pacific straight from Little Rock, Arkansas. She falls in love with a French man on the island but will be in great dilemma after learning that the man has two mixed-race children from a Polynesian woman. Joanna, who saw the musical in London, said that though it can be challenging at times, since she doesn’t share the same prejudices as the character she has to portray, she finds solace in seeing Nellie as a lady who is all about self-discovery.

“It’s about being open and learning to love someone who has a different culture. I’m definitely learning a lot from the characters,” the seasoned performer said.

Taking on the role of Emile de Becque, the romantic middle-aged French expatriate with a dark past who has to deal with Nellie’s racist views, is the multi-hyphenated talent that is Jon Meer Vera Perez. Though long been acclaimed here and abroad, whose glowing portfolio serves as both benchmark and inspiration to hopeful thespians, Jon Meer still feels thrilled and honored to be a part of such a spectacle.

“I feel like I’ve been training for this role all my life,” the soon-to-be Emile de Becque shared.

When asked if he somehow sees himself in the guy he’s about to play and how he’s preparing, he had offered more than what was bargained for.

“What’s strange is that I’m being asked to play a middle-aged French man and I’m Filipino. But, I feel the essence of his character. Emile is just so open; he’s so willing to put his heart out there because he had suffered before. In preparing for this, I go back to my day-to-day experiences. I observe the interactions around me, my own included. How we deal with our household help, how we still think that fair skin is better or kutis-mayaman, or how some people still discriminate based on sexual preference. This musical is still very relevant in our society today because we are always confined and restricted by our prejudices. But this show is ultimately about love and connections. We are in constant pursuit of this hyper romantic quest to always be connected on a sacred level with people that we deal with, and in essence, that’s what this show’s about. It’s about love that breaks barriers and preconceived notions. You will feel God in this show, and hopefully everyone will come out with a better understanding of themselves,” the actor spoke his mind.

And what is Jon Meer’s favorite song in the repertoire? “This Nearly Was Mine. It really moved me to tears.”

Mark Bautista, whose last international stint as Ferdinand Marcos in Here Lies Love earned him praises, will lend his voice and soul to Lt. Joseph Cable, a young American officer sent to the islands for a dangerous spy mission who also falls under the spell of an enigmatic Tonkinese girl named Liat. But like Nellie, Cable’s racial biases will cause him deep woes.

Mark, who admitted to learning more about South Pacific through YouTube, is grateful for being handpicked to play such a pivotal role.

“Sobrang excited ako. I’ve never done something like this before na musical concert. Hindi siya talaga musical but the important lines leading to the songs are there,” explained  Mark, who recently took part as Nico Escobar in the revival of the Filipino classic, Bituing Walang Ningning.

What does Mark think of Lt. Joseph Cable?

“He’s not really judgmental naman, later on, he will learn to accept love for what it is. I admire how he falls in love so quickly and how courageous he is. I think in totality, the show is all about fighting for love; be it love for country or another person,” Mark, who still dreams of playing Aladdin on stage someday, pointed out.

So does Mark see himself settling down with a foreigner?

“Actually, parang nakikita ko nga ang sarili ko na baka foreigner ang mapapangasawa ko. Kasi they are so open. Walang issue sa akin kung ibang race, color or status, what’s important for me is you’ll love me for who I am and reciprocate the love I’m giving,” Mark gamely answered.

Aside from Joanna, Jon and Mark, South Pacific in Concert — which is produced by Resorts World Manila in cooperation with Ultimate Shows, Inc. and Redstone Production — also features Ima Castro as the iconic Bloody Mary and more than 20 of the country’s finest theater performers, accompanied by The Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of maestro Rodel Colmenar.

We might not be living in a time of war but aren’t we still in a constant battle with ourselves? Indeed, the message of South Pacific can still drop like a bomb in the middle of our highly colonial society. And hopefully, the show would also creep into our own lives. May the compelling songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein remind us that it is possible to live in a world without prejudice.

As one powerful line in the story goes, “I don’t believe this is born in you.”