South Pacific 1951 - Articles Page 3.4

Opened: November 1, 1951

South Pacific - 1951 - West End History , Info & More

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
Catherine Street London WC2B 5JB London

Based on "Tales of the South Pacific" by James A. Michener

The plot of South Pacific centers on an American nurse stationed on a South Pacific island during World War II who falls in love with a middle-aged expatriate French plantation owner. This story is intertwined with a secondary romance, between a U.S. lieutenant and a young Tonkinese woman.



The original Broadway production enjoyed immense critical and box-office success and became the second-longest running Broadway musical to that point (behind Rodgers and Hammerstein's earlier Oklahoma!). Because of its exploration of racial and social issues of the day, the show won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Several of its songs, including "Bali Ha'i", "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair", "Some Enchanted Evening", "There Is Nothing Like a Dame", "Happy Talk" and Younger Than Springtime" have become popular standards.



The production won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score, and it is the only musical production to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories. Its original cast album was the bestselling record of the 1940s, and other recordings of the show have also been popular. The show has enjoyed many successful revivals and tours, spawning a 1958 film and television adaptations. The 2008 Broadway revival won seven Tonys, including Best Musical Revival.

South Pacific - 1951 - West End Cast

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South Pacific - 1951 - West End Articles Page 3.4

BWW Review: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY at Ogunquit Playhouse
by Dan Marois - Oct 9, 2017


From Here to Eternity Falls Short in New Musical Version

BWW Feature: THE KING AND I at Fox Theatre
by Justin Cole Adams - Sep 26, 2017


The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents the national tour of the Broadway revival THE KING AND I.

BWW Review: THE KING AND I at the Kennedy Center - It is 'Something Wonderful'
by Charles Shubow - Jul 24, 2017


Oh how delightful it was to hear a spectacular overture before a Broadway musical. When is the last time you heard one? We heard snippets of great music to come such as 'Something Wonderful', Whistle a Happy Tune', 'Shall We Dance' and 'Hello Young Lovers' all played by the talented orchestra (the massive 15 pieces) under the baton of Gerard Steichen.

Terence Archie, J. Bernard Calloway, Audrey Cardwell and Veronica J. Kuehn to Star in GUYS AND DOLLS at The Old Globe; Cast, Creatives Set!
by BWW News Desk - Jun 16, 2017


The Old Globe today announced the full cast for Guys and Dolls, a musical fable of Broadway.

Starlight Theatre Announces 2017 Blue Star Awards
by Julie Musbach - May 7, 2017


Yesterday, high school theatre students and instructors across metropolitan Kansas City and in neighboring communities received the good news that they had received nominations for the 15th Anniversary Blue Star Awards from Starlight Theatre. Starlight leaders, staff and board members personally delivered 132 nominations to 42 area high schools. On Thursday night, May 25, winners of the 2017 Blue Star Awards will receive their honors in a public ceremony on Starlight Theatre's Cohen Community Stage.

BWW Review: THE KING AND I: Still Something Wonderful
by Nancy Grossman - Apr 14, 2017


The National Tour of the Tony Award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I brings its parade of adorable children, a pair of star-crossed lovers, an imperial ruler, and a strong-willed, warm-hearted educator to the Boston Opera House through April 23rd. One of the grande dames of the 1950s, THE KING AND I retains its exalted place in the R & H pantheon, thanks to the artistry of Director Bartlett Sher, a songbird by the name of Laura Michelle Kelly, and a flawed King of Siam for our times, Jose Llana.

San Francisco Ballet Announces 2017-18 Season
by Christina Mancuso - Apr 13, 2017


San Francisco Ballet, long recognized for pushing boundaries in dance, has announced its 2017-18 Season program and schedule. This summer, SF Ballet will return to Festival Napa Valley for one performance only on Friday, July 21, 2017, accompanied by members of the SF Ballet Orchestra. In addition, this October, the Company will once again participate in World Ballet Day LIVE, a day-long streaming event (details to be announced).

Juilliard Dances Repertory To Show Three Masterworks In March, 3/22-27
by Molly Tracy - Mar 1, 2017


Juilliard Dance, under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes, continues its season with Juilliard Dances Repertory featuring Richard Alston's Sheer Bravado; Nacho Duato'sPor Vos Muero; and Mark Morris's V. 

New Wave of Classics to Be Released from Fox Cinema Archives
by Caryn Robbins - Feb 14, 2017


Bring home the newest wave of classics from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment's Cinema Archives vault, available for purchase on DVD now!

3-D Theatricals' ONCE ON THIS ISLAND to Sail to Redondo Beach and Cerritos PAC
by BWW News Desk - Feb 10, 2017


From the creators of Broadway's RAGTIME and SEUSSICAL, 3-D Theatricals will present the eight-time Tony nominated ONCE ON THIS ISLAND.

3-D Theatricals' ONCE ON THIS ISLAND to Sail to Redondo Beach and Cerritos PAC
by BWW News Desk - Jan 16, 2017


From the creators of Broadway's RAGTIME and SEUSSICAL, 3-D Theatricals will present the eight-time Tony nominated ONCE ON THIS ISLAND.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I Adapted for Young Performers
by BWW News Desk - Dec 1, 2016


On the heels of the national tour of Lincoln Center's Tony Award-winning Broadway revival sweeping the country now, educators and students will be whistling a happy tune when R&H Theatricals, a division of Rodgers & Hammerstein, an Imagem Company, releases Getting To Know... The King and I; it was announced today by Rodgers & Hammerstein president Ted Chapin and iTheatrics founder and CEO Timothy Allen McDonald.

Zimmerli Art Museum Examines American Art Circa 1966
by Molly Tracy - Oct 6, 2016


When the Zimmerli's curators first devised two complementary exhibitions of American art titled Circa 1966 - one focusing on prints, the other on paintings and sculpture - the intention was to commemorate the museum's golden anniversary by spotlighting key works created around the time of its founding. But in addition to spotlighting revolutionary movements that now have an established presence in art history, the subjects of many of the works focus on social and political discussions from the era that have prominently re-emerged across the United States.

New Drama and Musical to Headline New York New Works Theatre Festival This Fall
by BWW News Desk - Aug 24, 2016


Two distinctive pieces of theater - a drama about pioneering gay illustrator J.C. Leyendecker, and a musical comedy version of the Greek classic Electra - will be featured in this year's New York New Works Theatre Festival, August 29 through September 14.

BWW Review: Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre and St. Paul's Ordway Center Bring Us a Reinvigorated PAINT YOUR WAGON About the Diverse Cultures that Built the American West
by Jill Schafer - Aug 19, 2016


I had never even heard of the 1951 Lerner and Loewe musical PAINT YOUR WAGON when the Ordway announced it as part of their season. I guess that's not too surprising; it ran for less than a year on Broadway and has never been revived. The story was significantly rewritten for the 1969 movie adaptation starring Clint Eastwood, which also included a few new songs. Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre scrapped both the original and revised book (they're a little bit racist, and sexist) to write a new story set in the Gold Rush era of California, making it more reflective of the many diverse cultures that came together to build the great American West. This production has moved to the Ordway for two weeks, with a few local additions to the cast. This thrilling story of the beginnings of the American West with a beautifully diverse cast has rescued this gorgeous Western and Mexican influenced score from the place where problematic old musicals go to die.

Lincoln Center Theater's THE KING AND I Dancing Into Chicago Next Summer
by BWW News Desk - Jul 19, 2016


?Broadway In Chicago, Ambassador Theatre Group and NETworks Presentations LLC are pleased to announce that the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater Production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's THE KING AND I will play Chicago's Oriental Theatre (24 W Randolph) for four weeks, June 13 through July 9, 2017.

BWW Review: The Golden Age of Broadway at The Boston Pops
by Nancy Grossman - Jun 17, 2016


The Boston Pops has been winning the affection of audiences in Boston and beyond for 131 seasons with programs like The Golden Age of Broadway and featured performers Marin Mazzie, Jason Danieley, Laura Osnes, and Justin Hopkins. Keith Lockhart was on the podium and Lidiya Yankovskaya was Guest Chorus Conductor with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Fills Starlight Stage with Tony Award-Winning Music Beginning Today
by BWW News Desk - Jun 14, 2016


?The two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Bridges of Madison County, brings its undeniable and irresistible tale of romance to Starlight Theatre on June 14-19. One of the most romantic stories ever written, The Bridges of Madison County won 2014 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. This musical adaptation of the best-selling novel and popular film is sure to pull at the heartstrings of Starlight audiences.

THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY Fills Starlight Stage with Tony Award-Winning Music This June
by Louisa Brady - Jun 4, 2016


?The two-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Bridges of Madison County, brings its undeniable and irresistible tale of romance to Starlight Theatre on June 14-19. One of the most romantic stories ever written, The Bridges of Madison County won 2014 Tony Awards for Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations. This musical adaptation of the best-selling novel and popular film is sure to pull at the heartstrings of Starlight audiences.

Trinity Rep to Close Season with OKLAHOMA!
by Tyler Peterson - Apr 6, 2016


?Trinity Rep closes out its 52nd season Rebels, Renegades and Pioneers with Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma!, directed and choreographed by 2015 Emmy Award winner Richard Jenkins and Sharon Jenkins. Oklahoma! runs May 5-June 5, 2016.

SOUTH PACIFIC and SOUND OF MUSIC Star Martha Wright Passes Away at 92
by Nicole Rosky - Mar 10, 2016


According to the New York Times, Broadway actress Martha Wright passed away last week in Newburyport, Massachusetts. She was 92 years old.

Photo Flashback: A Fond Farewell to Those We Lost in 2015
by Walter McBride - Dec 31, 2015


Below, BroadwayWorld sends a fond farewell to those who passed away in 2015.

Linda Lavin, Will Swenson and More Set for 54 Below This Month
by BWW News Desk - Sep 1, 2015


This September, 54 BELOW presents an exciting lineup of the brightest talent from Broadway and beyond. Located just below the legendary Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER Reunion, Linda Lavin & More Set for 54 Below This Week
by Tyler Peterson - Aug 31, 2015


This week at 54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visitwww.54Below.com or call (646) 476-3551.

American Airlines Welcomes Japan Airlines Return To Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
by Robert Diamond - Aug 31, 2015


FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 31, 2015 /PRNewswire/ American Airlines is pleased to welcome fellow oneworld alliance member and Pacific Joint Business partner Japan Airlines (JAL) to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) with its return to service between Tokyo Narita (NRT) and DFW starting Nov. 30, 2015. American will add its code to the route.

South Pacific FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What productions of South Pacific have there been?
South Pacific has had 15 productions including Broadway which opened in 1949, Broadway which opened in 1949, US Tour which opened in 1950, West End which opened in 1951, Broadway which opened in 1955, Broadway which opened in 1955, Off-Broadway which opened in 1967, West End which opened in 1988, Milburn, NJ (Regional) which opened in 1994, West End which opened in 2001, Off-Broadway which opened in 2005, Broadway which opened in 2008, West End which opened in 2011, US Tour which opened in 2022 and West End which opened in 2022.

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