Ngomnyaka we-1944, uLieutenant-Commander uJames Michener wayesebenza njengejoni yomkhosi wamanzi kwisiqithi esincinci sase-South Pacific e-Espiritu Santu xa wayejamelene nengxaki engaqhelekanga: Umatiloshe wayekhululwe ngokusemthethweni emsebenzini kodwa wala ukuhamba indawo kwaye ubuyele kwikhaya losapho eAlabama. Kwavela ukuba lo mfana wayethandana nentombazana yesiqithi yasekuhlaleni, kwaye wayezala umntwana wakhe. Umatiloshe wayengenangxaki ekukhonzeni umkhosi waseJapan, kodwa umbono wokuxelela abazali bakhe e-LA (Lower Alabama) ukuba ufuna ukutshata 'nigger' wamoyikisa. Utshaba kwelinye icala lehlabathi kwakungekho lula ukulwa nalo, kodwa ukulwa notshaba ngaphakathi kwakunzima kakhulu.
Le yayiyintsholongwane yelinye lamabali ali-19 aqhagamsheleneyo uMichener awaluka kwiBhaso lakhe lePulitzer Iimbali zoMzantsi Pasifiki , neyathi yakhuthaza umculo ophumelele amabhaso kaRodgers noHammerstein wePulitzer, UMzantsi Pasifiki . Kumsitho womboniso wokuqala wobumbano we-Broadway (phantse iminyaka engama-60 emva kwenyani) kuza uLaurence Maslon Umhlobo waseMzantsi Pacific , eneenkcukacha zembali yalo msebenzi weklasikhi weqonga lomculo laseMelika. Nangona ingakhange ibonwe ku-Broadway ukusukela oko kwavalwa okokuqala ngo-1954, UMzantsi Pasifiki iveliswe kwihlabathi liphela kwaye yenziwa iifilimu ezimbini eziphumeleleyo.
Uninzi lwezinto ezenziwayo zokubonisa kunye neencwadi zeemovie zingaphezulu kweenkqubo zokukhumbula ezizukisiweyo. Nangona kunjalo UMzantsi Pasifiki isika nzulu kuninzi lomculo obandayo obandayo (kwagqitywa isigqibo hayi Ekhokelwa nguRoger DeBris), ngokunjalo noMnumzana Malson ugqithisile kwaye ubonakalise kakhulu Umhlobo . Ubonisa indlela uOscar Hammerstein noJoshua Logan abalikrola ngayo ibali elifutshane nelinamatheleneyo kwi-saga kaMichener, emva koko ubalisa ubunzima bokuyilahla ngeenkwenkwezi zomculo (uMary Martin) bedlala ngokuchasene ne-bass-baritone evela kwi-opera, kunye nesigqibo esinesibindi yabo bonke ababandakanyekayo, belandela ukukhokelwa ngabaqambi babaqambi, ukusebenzisa lo mboniso njengoqhankqalazo oluchasene nobuhlanga — into engavakaliyo kwezolonwabo olwaluthandwa ngelo xesha, nolunokuthi lula lubaphathe njengamagama amnyama.
Le ayisiyondaba iqhelekileyo yokubhala umva kwendlela ebanzi. UMnu Maslon wenza umsebenzi onomdla wokudibanisa ubomi bezinto ezine eziphambili, uMichener, uHammerstein, uRodgers kunye noLogan, ngokuchasene nomqolo weqonga lePasifiki lokusebenza kwiMfazwe yesibini yeHlabathi. Ubonisa indlela Iimbali zoMzantsi Pasifiki yayingeyoncwadi yamabali amafutshane — kwaye, kwangaxeshanye, ingeyiyo inyani okanye intsomi. Uninzi lweemeko kunye nabalinganiswa bathathwe ngokuthe ngqo kwiintlanganiso zikaMichener: 'uEmile de Becque' wayenemvelaphi yakhe kwisicwangcisi seCopra uMichener wayesazi kakuhle e-Espiritu; 'UMariya onegazi' yayilelona gama lowasetyhini waseTonkinese owayekhokele imvukelo yalapho.
UMzantsi Pasifiki uhlala usenza amandla: Ngo-1957, waphantse wakhuthaza ugqatso lomdyarho eWestbury Music Fair eLong Island, kuzo zonke iindawo, xa iqhawekazi uNellie Forbush labhengeza ukuba uvela eLittle Rock — kwiiveki ezimbalwa ezidlulileyo, uMongameli Eisenhower ithunyelwe ngemikhosi eLittle Rock ukunyanzelisa ukudityaniswa.
Ngo-2005, ingqungquthela yekhonsathi yahlelwa eCarnegie Hall eneenkwenkwezi kwi-Broadway baritone uBrian Stokes Mitchell njengo-Becque. Kubaphulaphuli ngobo busuku utata womculi, igqala leMfazwe yesibini (II) yeHlabathi eyayingomnye wodumo lweTuskegee Airmen. Ngelo xesha, ndikhumbula ndicinga indlela ekwakumangalisa ngayo ukuba utata kaMnumzana Mitchell kwafuneka alwe umlo kumacala amabini: ngokuchasene neLuftwaffe ngaphezulu kwe-Yuropu, nangokuchasana nobuhlanga obungene nzulu ekhaya.
Ukubona UMzantsi Pasifiki kwakhona eLincoln Centre kunye nokufunda incwadi kaMnu Maslon kusikhumbuza ukuba bonke abantu baseMelika, ukuya kuthi ga kwinqanaba elithile, balwa iimfazwe ezimbini ngaxeshanye-kwaye idabi liyaqhubeka.
Ngaba uFriedwald ngumbhali we Stardust Melodies: I-Biography ye-12 yeeNgoma ezidume kakhulu eMelika (EChicago). Unokufikelelwa kwiincwadi@observer.com.
