The Unsinkable Ship

True story: I was in a theater waiting for a play to start. There was an older couple sitting next to me, flipping through the Playbill. “Feh,” said the woman. “I can’t believe they’re doing South Pacific next month.” “Right,” said the man. “Who the hell needs to see South Pacific again?” “I mean, how boring can you get?” said the woman.

The following month I was at the opening night of South Pacific, and for some ghastly reason this same exact couple was sitting next to me. “Oh, I just love this show,” said the woman. “Yeah,” said the man, “Remember when we saw it in Kansas City?” “No, dummy,” said the lady, “That was Sioux Falls.” “No, it was Kansas City.” “No! That was another time.” And so it went.

Such is the terrible magic of Roger & Hammerstein’s South Pacific. No one wants to see it again, yet no one can resist it. The ten gazillionith new production of the venerable musical opened Thursday at the lovely Maltz Jupiter Theatre (1001 E. Indiantown Rd., Jupiter), featuring a cast of what are probably very talented youngsters from area high schools and colleges. You can see it tonight at 8 p.m. for $20. Call 561-575-2223, or visit jupitertheatre.org for more info.
July 5-6, 2008