Ocean View

Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific is obviously the product of a simpler time. Without the contemporary detachments of kitsch, camp or irony, the story takes place in the midst of World War II, carefully addressing the issue of interracial romance while never straying too far from the love story at...

By Geoff Johnston

August 17, 2006

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Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific is obviously the product of a simpler time. Without the contemporary detachments of kitsch, camp or irony, the story takes place in the midst of World War II, carefully addressing the issue of interracial romance while never straying too far from the love story at its core. Some argue that the plot is a little thin, but there's no debating South Pacific's stellar songbook, which is brimming with Broadway classics. But audiences have long since lost their innocence, and using, say, Iraq as a backdrop for musical shenanigans would have a noticeably different feeling today, with selections such as "Some Insurgent Evening," "I'm Embedded With a Wonderful Guy" and, of course, "I'm Gonna Wash Any Knowledge of Those Secret Internment Camps Right Outta My Hair." Return to a simpler time when Casa Mañana presents South Pacific at the Bass Performance Hall, Fourth and Calhoun Streets in Fort Worth. Catch it at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday (with 2 p.m. matinee performances Saturday and Sunday). Tickets range from $30 to $79. Call 817-212-4280 or 817-332-2272 or visit casamanana.org.
Aug. 15-20

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