| Hmm, I just re-watched the video of the Lincoln Center SOUTH PACIFIC, and with all due respect, I think your memory is unclear, because I wouldn't describe the performance of "Happy Talk" as slow, haunting, or hypnotic. The tempo sounds pretty much the same as what we're used to from the many recordings of the song, including the original cast album, and the film version. Still quite bouncy. The big difference I see in the interpretation is that Cable looks quite troubled throughout -- as if he is already thinking he has to tell Liat and Mary that he can't marry Liat -- and also, I think Loretta Ables Sayre plays the song as more aggressive and even a little desperate, far less light-hearted than the way it's played in the film. |
