South Pacific

Gina Beck, Julian Ovenden, Joanna Ampil, Keir Charles and Rob Houchen in Rodgers & Hammerstein’s SOUTH PACIFIC

Music by Richard Rodgers. Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener
Directed by Daniel Evans
5 July – 4 September 2021, live in the Festival Theatre
Streamed as live on 4, 9, 14, 18, 21, 26, 31 August & 3 September
Press performance: Tuesday 13 July at 7.00pm
The full company has been confirmed for Daniel Evans’s new production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Led by Gina Beck (Matilda, Show Boat, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera) as Nellie, Julian Ovenden (Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, Merrily We Roll Along, Grand Hotel, BBC Proms) as Emile, Joanna Ampil (Avenue Q, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon) as Bloody Mary, Keir Charles (Quiz, Back To Life) as Luther Billis and Rob Houchen (Les Misérables, The Light in the Piazza) as Cable, it also includes Iroy Abesamis, Lindsay Atherton, Carl Au, Rosanna Bates, David Birrell, Leslie Garcia Bowman, Taylor Bradshaw, Bobbie Chambers, Charlotte Coggin, Danny Collins, Oliver Edward, Sergio Giacomelli, Shailan Gohil, Adrian Grove, Zack Guest, Cameron Bernard Jones, Amanda Lindgren, Matthew Maddison, Sera Maehara (as Liat), Melissa Nettleford, Rachel Jayne Picar, Kate Playdon, Pierce Rogan, Clancy Ryan, Charlie Waddell and James Wilkinson-Jones, with children’s roles played by Lana Lakha, Kami Lieu, David Ngara O’Dwyer and Alexander Quinlan.
This much-loved, Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical opened in 1949 to huge success, becoming one of Broadway’s longest running hit shows. It boasts one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most memorable scores, featuring songs such as Some Enchanted Evening, I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair and Bali Ha’i.

1943. On an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, US troops are kicking their heels amid the cacao groves while restlessly waiting for the war to reach them. Nellie Forbush, a navy nurse from Arkansas, finds herself falling for the French plantation owner, Emile de Becque – a man with a mysterious past. The scheming sailor Luther Billis runs a makeshift laundry to earn a quick buck, but he’s no match for the Polynesian Bloody Mary who’s intent on exploiting these foreigners. When young Princeton graduate Lieutenant Joe Cable is flown in on a dangerous reconnaissance mission, love and fear become entwined as the island’s battle for hearts and minds begins.

The production is directed by Artistic Director Daniel Evans whose previous Chichester productions include This Is My Family, Quiz and Fiddler on the Roof. The set and costume designer is Peter McKintosh, and the choreographer and movement director is Ann Yee. Musical supervision is by Nigel Lilley, with musical direction by Cat Beveridge, orchestrations by David Cullen, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Paul Groothuis, video design by Gillian Tan, additional arrangements by Theo Jamieson, and casting by Charlotte Sutton.

South Pacific will be streamed as live on selected dates in August and September, visit website for details. One performance of South Pacific each week will be socially distanced. There will be a Dementia Friendly performance on 1 September at 2.30pm, welcoming individuals living with dementia, as well as their friends, families and carers. South Pacific is sponsored by R.L. Austen