South Pacific, with Stokes Mitchell and McEntire, to Air on PBS in April '06

By: Nov. 28, 2005
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Those who missed the sold-out summer Carnegie Hall concert production of South Pacific, starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Reba McEntire, will be able to see the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical when the concert airs on PBS in April of 2006. Debuting in the New York area on April 26th on WNET/Thirteen, South Pacific will then be broadcast on PBS stations across the country.

Country superstar McEntire (Annie Get Your Gun) was the naive Nellie Forbush in the June 9th concert, while Tony Award-winner Stokes Mitchell (Man of La Mancha, Kiss Me, Kate) played the dashing Emile de Becque. Alec Baldwin appeared as Luther Billis, with 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.

David Ives' revised book was adapted from Hammerstein'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.

For more information, visit www.pbs.org or www.thirteen.org.


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