Laura Osnes to Sail into SOUTH PACIFIC Replacing Kelli O'Hara Starting March 7; O'Hara to Return in October

Lincoln Center Theater (under the direction of Andre Bishop, Artistic Director and Bernard Gersten, Executive Director) has announced that Laura Osnes will assume the role of Ensign Nellie Forbush in its Tony Award winning production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, directed by Bartlett Sher, beginning Tuesday, March 10 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Kelli O'Hara, who originated the role in the production, will play her last performance on Saturday evening, March 7 before leaving to await the birth of her first child. After her maternity leave she will return to South Pacific on Tuesday, October 6.

Laura Osnes most recently starred on Broadway as Sandy in the revival of Grease, after winning a nationwide talent search to cast that role on the NBC TV series Grease: You're The One That I Want.

Kelli O'Hara, the Tony nominated star of South Pacific is has a new "production" in the works that will demand she take leave from the Lincoln Center hit starting in March, she is expecting her first child with husband Greg Naughton. The star's web site now lists March 1, 2009 as her final performance. The hope is that she will return to the production at a future date after her leave of absence. She married her husband in 2007, an actor and the son of Tony winning actor James Naughton.

Lincoln Center Theater's new production of Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein's prize-winning musical classic South Pacific, directed by Bartlett Sher, began performances on Saturday, March 1 at 8PM at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. Opening night was Thursday, April 3 at 6:30PM.

Based on James Michener's Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific has music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan.The production has musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, sets by Michael Yeargan, costumes by Catherine Zuber, lighting by Donald Holder, sound by Scott Lehrer and music direction by Ted Sperling, conducting a 30 piece orchestra performing the original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann.

"Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples -- US Navy nurse Nellie Forbush & French plantation owner Emile de Becque and Navy Airman Joe Cable & a young local native girl Liat - and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of the war and by their own prejudices," describe press notes.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific premiered at the Majestic Theatre on April 7, 1949 and went on to enjoy a five-year Broadway run winning countless awards including nine Tony Awards (including Best Musical) and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Considered by many the finest musical ever written, the score's songs include such musical theater classics as "Some Enchanted Evening," "Younger Than Springtime," "Bali Ha'i," "There is Nothin' Like A Dame" and "A Wonderful Guy."

Tickets to Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific are available at the Vivian Beaumont Theater box office (150 W 65 Street), at telecharge.com or by visiting www.lct.org.