Adaptation of the Musical; South Pacific

Adaptation of the Musical; South Pacific

Sitting back and reminiscing on the good old past with a combination of the current makes a play as magnificent as wine that only gets finer with time. Therefore, a contemporary twist to the musical South Pacific definitely will leave the audience in awe of the plot5 twist that can be added to the 1949 masterpiece. First written by the songwriting team inclusive of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, the musical was a leap in the dark after the first attempt of adaptation of a novel proved to be a  massive flop. Fortunately, the team came up with a smash hit of songs that blew the roof off the theaters with a combination of valid treatment of racial prejudice that rewrote and broke boundaries of classification in the slippery slopes of broadway.  That is, the message that is presented in the musical proves to be racially progressive. The musical is composed by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein writes the masterful lyrics while the plot is based on the work of Pulitzer award-winning novelist James A. Michener. Also, the final product is a mixture of several elements of the stories in the book Tales of the South Pacific. Subsequently, an adaptation of the musical will mean a change in the structuring to include a contemporary edge to the scripting, costuming, and language use.

The locus of the story is an American nurse that is stationed in the Pacific islands during the Second World War. Against the social norms, she falls in love with a middle-aged French expatriate who owns a massive plantation but is forced to grapple with the realities of having mixed-race children. During a time when inclusivity is not a reality, the children turn out to be devastated and have to try and blend into the broader mainstream world culture. On the other, there is a progression of the issue of racism in the secondary love plot between young Tonkinese woman and a U.S lieutenant. While the lovers are willing to get married to each other, the lieutenant is at the risk of losing his place on the discovery of the attachment and is even more apprehensive about the societal consequences that will come with the union.

In lieu of the matter, there is a controversial music break by the lieutenant through the song, “You’ve Got to Be Careful.” Therefore, the musical gives a candid experience of racial prejudice and its consequences. Currently, the plot can be twisted to include contemporary racial issues. In contrast with the past, mixed-race marriages or children are no longer a big issue that the society faces, especially with the social o0rder having changed to be more accommodating to the idea of love between people of different origins. However, the plot can be twisted to have an inclusion of the current struggle where there is an embracing of inclusivity. That is, there is yet to be a total commitment towards accepting that racism can be eliminated; on the one hand, millennials are more aware of the idea of humanity being leveled against all races. But on this other hand, old aged views of individual races have proved too persistent among the older generations.

What’s more, there already exists a contemporary tune to the musical that was produced in the 21^st century.  Slight revisions to both the cats and the musical scores were added to the 2001 version of the film in a production by the Royal National Theatre in an attempt to pay tribute to the legendary Richard Rodgers. John Napier also revamped designs of the limited edition of the Broadway musical. Additional changes to the play were done through a different casting that included Lauren Kennedy as the character Nellie. Other adaptations have been done by a British Touring production and later a broadway revival by the Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater. From the productions as mentioned earlier, there is a notable change in the set design to resonate with the current audience. That is, the original design started with an opening backdrop of the Second World War, but the inclusion of the background means that the audience has to have had knowledge of the war to understand it. It has been years since the war, and most of the people only know of the matter through a revision of the strategies that are chronicled in history. Therefore, just like the background was changed to an American flag in a review of the set, it can be revamped to include a set of a different battlefield. Also, the anxiety of the outcome of the Second World War can be removed from the story. In the first production, the love between the different characters thrives amidst the chaotic scenes of the Second World War and the anxiety of the impending danger of invasion. While this makes a more significant part of the plot, it is equally possible to let go of the idea of a war that is going to destroy human existence. To make the plot spicy, the main character can as well remain to be an American nurse stationed in the country and falls in love with a different national that has come to work in the expansive Southern plantations.

Also, a change in the costuming and language structure of the musical will make the audience identify with the p[lot. For instance, during the Thanksgiving Day scene, there is a malaria epidemic that has hit the island of Bali Hai. Liat has come to visit Cable, but he has fallen ill and is contained in a hospital. Determined to meet the love of his life, Cable escapes from the hospital and goes on to n meet with Liat. The only civilian woman on the island (Bloody Mary) goes ion to happily encourage the couple to marry even though Cable is pessimistic of the outcome. To crown the emotional weight of the scene, Nellie performs a comedy burlesque dressed as a sailor and singing praises to her love. Maintaining the current flow of the scene means that the audience might be lost in the conversations of the 90s. A more adaptable form of the scenes in the second act can be in the expression of musical scores that is inclusive of the vivid impressions of the memorable characters. That is, the coherent libretto is distillable to only a few lines that can hold the attention of the audience and add flavor and color to the script. Furthermore, the costuming of the play is based on the available props during the 90s  thus can be changed to have the current dressing styles.

In this manner, an adjustment of the melodic will mean an alteration in the organizing to incorporate a contemporary edge to the scripting, costuming, and language use. Richard Rodgers makes the melodic, and Oscar Hammerstein composes the awesome verses while the plot depends on crafted by Pulitzer award-winning author James A. Michener. Additionally, the last creation is a blend of the few components of the accounts in the book Tales of the South Pacific. The locus of the story is an American medical caretaker that is stationed the Pacific islands during the Second World War Against the social standards, she becomes hopelessly enamored with a moderately aged French exile who claims d a large ranch yet is compelled to think about the real factors of having blended race youngsters. The plot can be maintained to accommodate the racially