Event

South Pacific

Directed by Kristan Burke Sturtevant with Musical Direction by Paula Bishop and Choreography by Amanda DeAngelis, "South Pacific" ranks among the most celebrated of Rodgers and Hammerstein's acclaimed musical masterpieces. Adapted from two short stories by James Michener, the original production of "South Pacific" featured Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza and was only the second musical to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It opened on Broadway in 1949 and ran for 1,925 performances. In 2005, a concert version of the musical was presented live at Carnegie Hall. The score is as breathtaking as the tropical setting and includes "Some Enchanted Evening," "Bali Ha'i," "There is Nothin' Like a Dame," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", "Younger Than Springtime" and more.

During World War II, the U.S. Navy and Marines had set up a temporary base on a remote island in the South Pacific. Ensign Nellie Forbush, a Navy nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, falls in love with the distinguished Emile de Becque, a French planter, who for some years has been living on the island paradise. Lt. Joe Cable is a newly arrived officer who has become enamored with Liat, daughter of Bloody Mary, the colorful local woman who sells items to the troops. Nellie's southern upbringing fills her with strong prejudices about Emile's late wife and half-Polynesian children. Joe works through the same feelings in his love for Liat, but realizes he's free of the bigotry he's been taught and is now able to follow his heart. Cable's mission is to infiltrate the nearby islands and gather enemy intelligence reports. He persuades de Becque, who knows the area better than any of them, to join the Allied cause and go with him. Cable and Emile are separated; the outcome is uncertain. Faced with the sudden realization that she may have lost Emile, Nellie is able to put her fears and meaningless prejudices into perspective and realizes that her love for him and the things he stands for is paramount. She makes her way to his home and is giving lunch to his two children, whom she loves as her own, when Emile returns.