South Pacific Concert, with Stokes Mitchell and McEntire, Released on CD, April 18

A cast recording of the sold-out South Pacific concert that was presented at Carnegie Hall last summer will be released on April 18th.

The CD, released on Decca Broadway and produced by Jay David Saks, will feature the concert's stars Brian Stokes Mitchell (Tony Award-winner for Kiss Me, Kate) as Emile deBecque and Reba McEntire (Annie Get Your Gun) as Nellie Forbush, as well as Alec Baldwin as Luther Billis, Lillias White as Bloody Mary, Jason Danieley as Lt. Cable, Renita Croney as Liat, Dylan Baker as Commander William Harbison, Conrad John Schuck as Captain Brackett, Alexander Gemignani as Stewpot, Tom Deckman as the Professor, Alexio Barboza as Jerome and Alex de Castro as Ngana.

The new cast recording of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which centers on two couples who find their romances threatened by racism, will precede the PBS "Great Performances" broadcast of the South Pacific concert by about a week; it will air on April 26th.

Presented on June 9th, 2005, the concert featured David Ives' revised book, which was adapted from Oscar Hammerstein II's and Joshua Logan's original. Walter Bobbie directed the concert, while Paul Gemignani conducted the Orchestra of St. Luke's. The concert's design team comprised John Lee Beatty (scenic consultant), Catherine Zuber (costume consultant), Alan Adelman (lighting designer) and Acme Sound Partners (sound design).

South Pacific, which is based on James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific, starred Mary Martin as Nellie and Ezio Pinza as Emile when it opened at the Majestic Theatre on April 7th, 1949. Rodgers and Hammerstein's second-longest running show at 1,925 performances, it won all of its 11 Tony nominations in 1950, including Best Musical.