South Pacific in Chicago

At the Cadillac Palace Theater on Randolph

I have a confession to make. I love musicals. I know they are considered low-brow, but I'm not afraid to buck convention and admit that I like them. They make me smile.

I was jealous of my aunt when she said she was going to South Pacific at the Cadillac Palace Theater with some of her girlfriends. So when a coworker offered me an extra ticket to Wednesday night's show, I happily obliged.

I wasn't familiar with the plot before arriving at the theater, but could infer it had something to do with the islands of the South Pacific during World War II and a love story or two. It turns out I like the theme of the show--overcoming adversity and one's prejudices to find love and happiness. And I really liked the set design of this particular production, which is based on the Lincoln Center Theater production. The sets were complex, yet fit together very well.

But the show itself felt very long. The songs, which have a similar rhythm and tune to begin with, began to feel like one very long song. What I like most about musicals is their energy. Unfortunately, South Pacific, at least on this Wednesday night, lacked energy.

South Pacific plays at the Cadillac Palace Theater until Sunday, February 26. Tickets are still available.