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"Simply Wonderful! Beguiling Theatrical Magic!" hails the New York Post for the breathtaking new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's SOUTH PACIFIC. A stunning reinvention produced by Lincoln Center Theater, SOUTH PACIFICswept the 2008 Tony Awards®, winning seven honors including Best Musical Revival and Best Director for Bartlett Sher. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of war and by their own prejudices. The beloved score's songs include "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" "This Nearly Was Mine" and "There is Nothin' Like a Dame." USA Today cheers," ****! Gorgeous SOUTH PACIFIC doesn't just float: it soars!"

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, a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan and is directed by 2008 Tony Award®-winner Bartlett Sher.

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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.

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. Lincoln Center Theater’s new production marks the first Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize Winning Musical since its 1949 premiere.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC features 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.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC is playing the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York, and touring plans are underway for a Fall 2009 launch.

“Electric!  This is the SOUTH PACIFIC we’ve been waiting for!” – San Francisco Chronicle “Classy.  A perfect-pitch production” – San Francisco Examiner

“Breathtaking!  Theatrical Paradise” – Bay Area News Group “Shimmering romance in the ravishing score”
- San Jose Mercury News

“Incredibly vibrant production manages to be truthful and relevant; you’re likely to forget every other South Pacific you’ve seen previously” - Theatermania.com

“It’s easy to see what all the fuss is about.  One of the glories of American theater.” – Raleigh News & Observer

“Outstanding individual performances, invigorating orchestral accompaniment, imaginative and resourceful musical staging, outstanding production values, and timely message make this production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC a must-see musical”
– Classic Voice of North Carolina

“SOUTH PACIFIC pulls you in, sweeping the stage with theatrical talent.” – Creative Loafing (Charlotte)

“Sharp, pointed and direct with boisterous humor and sweeping emotions, this production won’t let us forget that we don’t know SOUTH PACIFIC as well as we think, and how topical it remains.” – Charlotte Observer

“SIMPLY wonderful! Theatrical magic!  A great staging of a great show, with enough wattage to keep Lincoln Center alight for years.”
– Clive Barnes, New York Post
 
“I know we’re not supposed to expect perfection in this imperfect world, but I’m darned if I can find one serious flaw in this production.”
– Ben Brantley, The New York Times

“The level of artistry and inventive stagecraft on display is breathtaking….From the seductive swell of a full orchestra playing the glorious five-minute overture through the poignant final tableau of love and reconciliation, this is ravishing theater…..Richard Rodgers’ score is one of the most lush, tuneful and romantic in American musical history.” – David Rooney, Variety

“* * * * out of four!....Spine-tingling moments ensure that this gorgeous revival of South Pacific doesn't just float; it soars.”
– Elysa Gardner, USA Today

“Director Bartlett Sher has masterminded a big, luscious, witty production with the emotional intimacy of a chamber musical…Michael Yeargan’s ravishing sets are dominated by a sense of the sea and massive but delicate bamboo shades. Catherine Zuber’s period-true yet sensual costumes make us re-evaluate the allure of ‘40s bathing suits. And the lights, by Donald Holder, dream up fabulous magenta sunsets and silhouette nurses as if they were pinups, sunbathing without care in the distance.”
– Linda Winer, Newsday

“What makes this impeccably acted and designed production so extraordinary is Bartlett Sher’s meticulous and dramatic direction….The show is filled with fantastic and familiar songs that are presented here like musical conversation, making them sound fresh and exciting. Characters are played with such intimacy you practically hear hearts flutter as people fall in love.”
– Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News

Steven Schnepp  Steve@bbonyc.com

Temah Higgins  Temah@bbonyc.com

David Freeland  David@bbonyc.com

Kent McIngvale Kent@bbonyc.com

Jenny Bates Jen@bbonyc.com