Revival of South Pacific

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The songs “Bali Ha’i,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Happy Talk, “Younger than Springtime“ and “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy“ from the original production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific continue to enchant us.

The show, first staged on Broadway in 1949, was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won all of them, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Libretto. It was the only musical production ever to win all four Tony Awards for acting. The show was a critical and box office hit and has since enjoyed many successful revivals and tours and two film adaptations.

A lush, romantic revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific has won acclaim since it opened in April of 2008 at the Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York City and a revival is touring across America. Directed by Bartlett Sher, the show received 11 Tony nominations and won for best revival and six other Tonys.

A Little History
The musical South Pacific draws from James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning, 1948 novel, Tales of the South Pacific.

Director Joshua Logan, a World War II veteran, read Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific and decided to adapt it for the stage or screen. He and producer Leland Hayward arranged to purchase the rights for the work from Michener; they also asked Richard Rodgers to compose music for the work and Oscar Hammerstein II to write lyrics and the libretto. Hayward would produce, and Logan would serve as director and producer. Rodgers and Hammerstein accepted, and they began transforming the short stories Fo’ Dolla and Our Heroine into a unified tale. Since both stories were serious in tone, Michener agreed to include a third story about Luther Billis, a womanizing sailor.

During this time, the team received a telephone call from Edwin Lester of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera. He had signed Metropolitan Opera star Ezio Pinza for a new musical, but the musical fell through and, according to his contract, Pinza had to be paid $25,000 regardless of whether he actually performed. Lester was searching for a new vehicle for Pinza, and Rodgers and Hammerstein eagerly signed Pinza to play Emile De Becque, the male lead. Hammerstein had been particularly inspired by Mary Martin, wearing a gingham dress in the last scene of One Touch of Venus and he wanted her to play Nellie Forbush, the female lead. Martin was playing Annie Oakley in the touring company of Annie Get Your Gun, but after Rodgers and Hammerstein auditioned three songs for Martin and her husband, Richard Halliday, she accepted the role.

Hammerstein, according to the contract, was to write both the lyrics and libretto. However, he knew very little about the U.S. Navy in World War II or about Nellie’s Southern dialect and culture. Rodgers asked Logan to help Hammerstein with the libretto and Logan helped Hammerstein write the book, asking to be credited as co-author. Hammerstein agreed to give Logan credit as co-author of the libretto, but added, “Of course, it goes without saying that you won’t get anything whatsoever of the author’s royalties.”

After out-of-town tryouts, South Pacific opened on Broadway on April 7, 1949, at the Majestic Theatre, moving to the Broadway Theatre in June 1953. It was produced by Rodgers and Hammerstein in association with Leland Hayward and Joshua Logan, with direction and musical staging by Logan. The production ran for more than five years. At the time it closed on January 16, 1954, after 1,925 performances, it was the fifth-longest running show in Broadway history. The original cast featured Mary Martin as Nellie Forbush and opera star Ezio Pinza, as Emile de Becque. Also in the cast were Juanita Hall, Myron McCormick (both of whom won Tony Awards for their performances) and Betta St. John.

Although Forbush and de Becque were already fully developed characters in Michener’s stories, at some point during the creation of South Pacific, Rodgers, Hammerstein and Logan began to adapt the roles specifically to the talents of Martin and Pinza and to tailor the music for their voices. The production won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, Best Libretto, Best Director and all four acting awards. In June 1951 Martin was replaced by Martha Wright, who performed the role for production’s remaining 1,047 performances. George Britton took over the role of Emile de Becque in January 1952, playing the role opposite Martin until the show closed in January 1954. Cloris Leachman played the role for four weeks on Broadway after she impressed Logan, Rodgers and Hammerstein while auditioning for the lead as a replacement in the national tour.

Critical Acclaim
Ben Brantley in The New York Times wrote: “I know we’re not supposed to expect perfection in this imperfect world, but I’m darned if I can find one serious flaw in this production. (Yes, the second act remains weaker than the first, but Mr. Sher almost makes you forget that.) All of the supporting performances, including those of the ensemble, feel precisely individualized, right down to how they wear Catherine Zuber’s carefully researched period costumes.”

A U.S. national tour based on the 2008 Broadway revival has begun. Bartlett Sher directs, with a cast that features Rod Gilfry (Emile de Becque), Carmen Cusack (Nellie Forbush), Anderson Davis (Lt. Cable), Matthew Saldivar (Luther Billis), Keala Settle (Bloody Mary), and Sumie Maeda (Liat).

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific is also now on tour across North America.

South Pacific Revival
The 2008 revival starred the rising star Kelli O’Hara as Nellie Forbush, opera star Paulo Szot as Emile de Becque and Matthew Morrison as Lt. Cable, featuring Danny Burstein and Loretta Ables Sayre, were in the opening night cast. Laura Osnes now plays the role of Nellie.

There have been many revivals of the show. Here are just a few that have been well received:

U.S. tour, 1950-1955
A U.S. tour ran for almost five years in 118 cities from April 1950 through March 26, 1955. Janet Blair starred as Nellie Forbush, followed by Jeanne Bal and Iva Withers. Emile de Becque was played by Richard Eastham, Webb Tilton and Alan Gerard.

Original West End production
London’s West End production ran from November 1, 1951 to 1953, at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It was directed by Joshua Logan and starred Mary Martin and Wilbur Evans and featured Ray Walston (Luther), Muriel Smith (Bloody Mary), Peter Grant (Joe Cable) and Ivor Emmanuel (Sgt. Johnson). Mary Martin was replaced during the run by Julie Wilson.

2005 Carnegie Hall concert
On June 9, 2005, a concert version of the musical, edited down to two hours, but including all of the songs and the full musical score, was presented live at Carnegie Hall. It starred Reba McEntire as Nellie Forbush, Brian Stokes Mitchel as Emile, Alec Baldwin as Luther Billis and Lillias White as Bloody Mary, with a full supporting cast. The production used Robert Russell Bennett’s original orchestrations.

Has reading about South Pacific piqued your interest in musicals? Why not check out other musicals such as Les Misérables, Hairspray, or even High School Musical? Visit your local library and see if your librarian can help you find a musical to satisfy your eager ears!

Recommended Resources

The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization

South Pacific

From 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

South Pacific: A Musical Play

By Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Joshua Logan

Recommended Bibliography from the Rogers and Hammerstein organization:

The Richard Rodgers Reader

By Geoffrey Block

The Rodgers and Hammerstein Story

By Stanley Green

Tales of the South Pacific

By James A. Michener