Posted September 17, 2024
Last month, we sat down with Artistic Director Kathleen Clawson and South Pacific‘s stage director, Joe Deer, for a discussion about the upcoming production. With South Pacific gearing up to hit the Schuster stage on September 21 and 22, we got the inside scoop on how this iconic 1949 musical is being reimagined as a full-blown opera with the help of Wright State University’s School of Fine and Performing Arts.
Kathleen Clawson: Part of, of course, the reason that I chose it is… the music is so spectacular. It’s really, really great. And also that it’s the 75th anniversary of it appearing on Broadway, so it seemed timely in that sense, as well. The other reason is that the role of Emile de Becque, the French planter, was originally done by an opera singer. And I thought, what better way to showcase great singing, which is what I’m always trying to bring to the stage with all of Dayton Opera’s productions: great singing and this repertoire that is ours. “American.” American musical theater is our art form. Plus, we’re going to have 50 members of the Dayton Philharmonic in the pit playing this glorious score, which is not something people get the opportunity to hear nowadays. So yes, the dialogue and the singers will be amplified, but that will not supersede the acoustic experience of hearing this gorgeous score played by this fantastic orchestra.
Check out the video below to hear the full interview!