Ensign Nellie Forbush, a nurse from Arkansas, admires the view of the sun over the ocean, musing knowingly about her naturally sunny perspective.
Dites-moi
At the opening of the show, two Polynesian children sing a playful tune on the patio of a beautiful estate owned by local Frenchman Emile de Becque.
Overture
Beginning with the three majestic notes of “Bali H’ai,” South Pacific’s overture is considered one of the greatest overtures of all time. Exuberantly arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, it presents an extraordinary array of the great songs to follow, full of passion, humor and melody. Imagine hearing it before the world knew “There is Nothing Like A Dame,” “A Wonderful … Read More
2008 Broadway Revival
Led by Kelli O’Hara and opera’s Paulo Szot (who won the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical), this 2008 Cast Recording of South Pacific was conducted by Ted Sperling using the original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett. It also notably features Danny Burstein and Loretta Ables Sayre. Recorded in April 2008, … Read More
2005 Carnegie Hall Concert
This live recording of South Pacific preserves the performances of Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Alec Baldwin, Lillias White, Alexander Gemignani and others from Carnegie Hall’s one-night-only staged concert of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, presented on June 9, 2005.
2002 National Theatre
Featuring Lauren Kennedy, Philip Quast, Sheila Francisco, Nick Holder and Elaine Tan, the recording of the National Theatre’s 2002 Trevor Nunn production was released on First Night Records. Stephen Brooker served as musical director.
1996 London Studio Cast Recording
This 1996 studio cast album, the first “complete” recording of the show’s score, was recorded at Abbey Studios in London for TER Records. The cast includes Paige O’Hara, who played the lead in an Australian production, and Justino Diaz, who played Emile de Becque for the New York City Opera.
1988 London Cast Recording
London’s first revival, produced by Ronnie Lee and directed by Rodger Redfarn in 1988, ran just shy of a year at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, starring Gemma Craven and Emile Belcourt. The album was made by First Night Records under the musical direction of Alan Bence. The cast was rounded out by Bertice Reading as Bloody Mary … Read More
1986 London Studio Cast Recording
Following their success with a 1985 studio recording of West Side Story, opera stars José Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa reunited to sing the roles of Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque for CBS Records. To suit their ranges, Jonathan Tunick carefully retooled the Robert Russell Bennett orchestrations where necessary. The recording features jazz great Sarah Vaughn as Bloody Mary … Read More
1967 Music Theater of Lincoln Center Revival
In a limited engagement revival at the New York State Theatre under the banner of the Music Theatre of Lincoln Center, Florence Henderson and Giorgio Tozzi starred as Ensign Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque in a production reconceived by Joe Layton. This cast album of the production was recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City in … Read More
1958 Motion Picture
Alongside the blockbuster film starring Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi, the soundtrack to 1958’s South Pacific was released in March of 1958. The album includes a song that was originally cut from the stage version: “My Girl Back Home,” sung by Lieutenant Cable, played by John Kerr in the film. Not only did the movie’s soundtrack spent 31 weeks at … Read More
1951 West End Premiere
The 1951 original West End cast recording of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific features Wilbur Evans, Peter Grant, Muriel Smith and the original recordings of Mary Martin’s solo vocals, used again for this new recording. The orchestra and cast were conducted by the production’s musical director, Reginald Burston, with Robert Russell Bennett’s original orchestrations.
1949 Original Broadway Production
The original Broadway cast of South Pacific gathered in Columbia Record’s famous 30th Street Studio to record the original cast album on April 18 and 19, 1949. With orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett, the recording was conducted by Salvatore Dell’Isola and produced by Goddard Lieberson. Introducing such classics as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Younger Than Springtime” and “Bali Ha’i” to the … Read More
2008 Broadway Revival
For the first time since its original run, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved South Pacific made its official return to Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 3, 2008. This pristine revival, directed by Bartlett Sher with musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, starred Kelli O’Hara as Nellie Forbush and baritone Paulo Szot as Emile de Becque. Featuring an … Read More
2005 Carnegie Hall Concert
This landmark, one-night-only concert version of South Pacific was presented at Carnegie Hall on June 9, 2005. Country music star Reba McEntire (who lit up Broadway when she followed Bernadette Peters in Annie Get Your Gun) led an impressive cast as Ensign Nellie Forbush, with Brian Stokes Mitchell as Emile de Becque and Alec Baldwin in the role of Luther … Read More
2002 West End Revival
Director Trevor Nunn followed up his award-winning production of Oklahoma! with a re-envisioned version of South Pacific at the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre. The cast included Lauren Kennedy as Ensign Nellie Forbush and Philip Quast, who won a Laurence Oliver Award for his performance as Emile de Becque.