This 360° view shows a recent production form Teesside Operatic Society.

It was taken from the front of the stage during the company's curtain call for South Pacific.

You can find out below what BBC Radio Cleveland's Tim Ellingford thought of the show.

South Pacific, Teesside Operatic Society

Review by Tim Ellingford

The songs by Rogers and Hammerstein which include "Honey Bun", "Happy Talk" and "Some Enchanted Evening" help to make this show seem familiar even if you haven't seen it.

It was this reason that prompted me to head for the Middlesbrough Theatre for the run of this classic show which first opened at the Drury Lane Theatre in London in 1951.

The show is about Nellie Forbush who is a nurse from Little Rock stationed on a pacific Island in World war II. She knows how far she has come from Little Rock when she falls in love with the older, Emile de Becque, a local planter.

But when she finds out that he is a widower with two small children she finds this difficult to take because of her small town upbringing and heads back to the military base.

Love and prejudice

Likewise young Lieutenant Cable from a noble Boston Family falls in love with the Polynesian, Liat whose mother is Bloody Mary, the local entrepreneur, is torn between love and prejudice.

De Becque, deeply disappointed with Nellie's attitude and coldness towards him, joins an American spy mission on a nearby island, and Nellie subsequently realises her true feelings for him. Luckily for her de Becque escapes when the Japanese attack and comes back to find her serving soup to his children.

His companion on the dangerous mission, Lieutenant Cable is not so lucky. He is killed and Liat is left alone, deprived of the one man she would marry.

The reputation of the Teesside Operatic Society is so strong that it almost guarantees at full house every night. The night I was there I was sitting in the circle area surrounded by family and friends of some of the cast, and it is possibly the goodwill of the audience that really helps the cast to pull off such good performances.

From the moment the music started the lady behind me started humming and singing "Some Enchanted Evening". I was left thinking I hope the cast are more in-tune.

Exceptional performances

I needn't have worried all the performances were exceptional. Often what lets amateur productions down is the micing because of the cost of technical support sometimes the sound leaves a lot to be desired however at the Middlesbrough Theatre all the main characters had personal mics which mean't no note or lyric was lost.

The society itself is quite a family affair with more than one family member being involved in this case, Nellie Forbush was played by Alison Dale who's husband Simon played Lieutenant Joe cable and Sally Emmerson who played Bloody Mary is joined by her son Christopher who played Jerome during certain performances.

The music is highly charged and emotive and becuase the story is about serious and sensitive issues it could become quite a a tough test for the audiences to endure.

However there is light relief in the guise of Bloody Mary played by Sally Emmerson and Luther Billis who was expertly played by Allan Iverson who made this lovelable wideboy a likeable and popular character with hidden depth.

A thoroughly enjoyable night out.

Other facts about South Pacific:

* Sean Connery was in the chorus at one stage of the original show's London run.

* Mary Martin was in the original cast.

* South Pacific won eight Tony awards including one for best Musical.

If you enjoy musicals then why not join Tim Ellingford on a Sunday evening between 7 and 9pm for "Songs From The Shows".

Look out for a review later this week of "Copacabana" which is on at the Civic Theatre in Darlington and is being presented by Darlington Operatic Society.

If you have seen a show in the area don't forget to let us know your view just e-mail your views to us.

At BBC Tees we are looking for someone to review the Summer Repertory Season at the Civic Theatre in Darlington, shows include "Sailor Beware" with Ruth Madoc, the classic Ray Cooney farce "It Runs In The Family", "My Cousin Rachel" with Bruce Montague and "Trap For A Lonely Man with Jonathan Morris.

We are looking for someone who would like to see the four shows and all we ask for in return for two free tickets is a review on BBC Tees.

E-mail us today on tees@bbc.co.uk and let us know why you should be chosen as our guest reviewer.