South Pacific
South Pacific is a
musical play by
Richard Rodgers and
Oscar Hammerstein II, which opened on Broadway on April 7,
1949. The musical is based on some short stories by
James A. Michener, entitled
Tales of the South Pacific. It was awarded the
Pulitzer Prize for Drama in
1950. The original cast included
Mary Martin, who created the role of the heroine, Nellie Forbush, and opera star
Ezio Pinza, who plays the part of Emile de Becque, the French plantation owner. Also in the cast were Juanita Hall, Myron McCormick, Betta St. John, and
Spoiler warning:
Plot or ending details follow.
The main storyline concerns a U.S. Navy nurse stationed on a Pacific island during World War II. Having fallen in love with a middle-aged French plantation owner, she is shocked to discover that he has mixed-race children from an earlier relationship. A sub-plot deals with the romance between U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Joe Cable and a Tonkinese girl, Liat, the daughter of "Bloody Mary". The issue of racial prejudice is sensitively and candidly explored.
Songs
- "Dites Moi"
- "A Cockeyed Optimist"
- "Twin Soliloquies"
- "Some Enchanted Evening"
- "Bloody Mary"
- "There Is Nothing Like a Dame"
- "Bali Ha'i"
- "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair"
- "I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy"
- "Younger Than Springtime"
- "Happy Talk"
- "Honey Bun"
- "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"
- "This Nearly Was Mine"
The musical was made into a successful film of 1958, starring Rossano Brazzi and Mitzi Gaynor in the leading roles, with Juanita Hall in the part of Bloody Mary which she had played in the original stage production. Kauai, one of the Hawaiian Islands, served as the filming location for the movie.
Television productions
It has been filmed twice for television, in 1976 (directed by Julian Krainin) and 2001 (directed by Richard Pearce and starring Glenn Close.
