Rave Reviews for South Pacific at Sadler’s Wells!

Chichester Festival Theatre’s critically acclaimed, landmark production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific transferred to Sadler’s Wells this summer for a strictly limited season, and the response has been rapturous. Here’s a roundup of some reviews:

★★★★★ “Succumb to the siren call from this shimmering island paradise of a musical.” – The Telegraph

★★★★★ “Musically, dramatically and visually sumptuous… Ann Yee’s choreography masterfully combines the ethereal and the gritty.” – The Stage

★★★★ “A revelation… ravishingly simple… This revelatory production celebrates the lush score and clarifies the script’s attitude to race and exploitation.” – The Evening Standard

★★★★★ “Ahead of its time… A true classic of the musical theatre form, and a production that will blow you away. The blend of drama and comedy works brilliantly, and the music is simply spine-tingling… A perfect summer treat.” – BroadwayWorld

★★★★ “Daniel Evans’s Chichester Festival Theatre revival of South Pacific is affirmation that you don’t actually have to irreverently deconstruct Rodgers & Hammerstein for them to feel relevant… Let’s be clear: the score is staggering, and that’s why South Pacific still gets staged. It’s home to an almost indecent number of masterpieces, from the sassy proto-pop of ‘Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair’ to the swooning romance of ‘Some Enchanted Evening’ to the excoriating ‘You’ve Got to Be Taught’ which is – the odd crass rhyme aside – a still blistering anti-racism song.” – TimeOut London

★★★★★ “Enchanting… This production conveys how the golden age musicals are still as stupendous now as they were back then… There is a reason South Pacific is hailed as one of the greats and it is a delight to see this musical back on stage in a show that does it so much justice.“ – West End Best Friend

★★★★ “Mighty… recharged with a new political currency… even as the glories of the score cascade across the footlights, one never loses sight of a musical about two cross-cultural relationships involving people who don’t always behave, or speak, honourably: a community, in other words, that will know what it means to come to grief.” – London Theatre

★★★★★ “A superlative night out at the theatre… Rodgers’ lush and captivating score remains heart-wrenching, and it sounds gorgeous in the capable hands of musical director Cat Beveridge and her 15-strong orchestra. Hammerstein and Joshua Logan’s book is perfectly structured and the Act I finale, where we are forced to confront the racism of a character we have spent an hour falling in love with, is more of a gut-punch than ever. For all the heavy themes at play here, it is easy to forget that South Pacific is ultimately an irresistibly fun musical… this is a beautifully designed, dynamic, and genuinely thrilling show that effectively communicates the hopeful message of the original production. We leave the theatre uplifted and thoughtful, but most of all exhilarated.“ – Musical Theatre Review

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific will play at Sadler’s Wells through 28 August 2022. For tickets, click here!