“When all you care about is here, this is a good place to be.” ~ Rossano Brazzi (as Emile De Becque) in South Pacific
It is interesting how human nature rarely fails to find an adversary. Even without fighting in a monumental war, we find a battle, and we only need to look inward to find it. Often times the battles fought within are amongst the greatest, most trying conflicts, as they are against the self. This battle is apparent in the musical South Pacific, where blurred battle lines of racism prove more troubling than the prospect of fighting for one’s country. The dynamic duo of Richard Rodgers (composer) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) bring to mind countless nostalgic reminiscences for countless people, spanning several …show more content…
Michener, and published in 1947. This book, although not exactly fiction, is the powerful literary work that led Michener to receive a Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Due to the significant racial tone and resounding message of acceptance, the musical also received a Pulitzer Prize in 1950. The powerful message and genuine characters resonated with audiences, and rightly so, as Michener’s words came derived from actual experiences. Michener recorded much of his experience as a Navy Lieutenant in the South Pacific during World War II. The stories he then turned into his Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific. The book entailed 19 stories from occurrences and incidents, all of which were non-combat related. As if writing a book from his entire experience was not hard enough, there was more hard work ahead before the musical theatre world would inaugurate the monumental film that is South …show more content…
There were courageous moves from several players, and in casting, the producer and the composers proved just as daring. They chose to pair an opera singer who sings bass baritone, with a comedic musical performer, Mary Martin. On a less turbulent territory, South Pacific was amongst the first musical productions to distribute souvenir items, and a large array of selection. With that, every song in South Pacific, each song created by Rodgers and Hammerstein, became a hit. The songs included "Dites-Moi" – sung by Ngana and Jerome"A Cockeyed Optimist" – sung by Nellie, "Twin Soliloquies" – sung by Nellie and Emile, "Some Enchanted Evening" – sung by Emile, "Bloody Mary" – sung by Sailors, Seabees and Marines, "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" – sung by Sailors, Seabees and Marines, "Bali Ha 'i" – sung by Bloody Mary, Billis and Cable, "I 'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" – sung by Nellie and Nurses, "I 'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" – sung by Nellie and Nurses, "Younger Than Springtime" – sung by Cable, Soft shoe dance – Nurses and Seabees, "Happy Talk" – sung by Bloody Mary, "Honey Bun" – sung by Nellie and Girls, "You 've Got to Be Carefully Taught" – sung by Cable, "Honey Bun" (reprise) – sung by Billis, "This Nearly Was Mine" – sung by Emile, "Some Enchanted Evening" (reprise) – sung by Nellie, Finale
It is interesting how human nature rarely fails to find an adversary. Even without fighting in a monumental war, we find a battle, and we only need to look inward to find it. Often times the battles fought within are amongst the greatest, most trying conflicts, as they are against the self. This battle is apparent in the musical South Pacific, where blurred battle lines of racism prove more troubling than the prospect of fighting for one’s country. The dynamic duo of Richard Rodgers (composer) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics) bring to mind countless nostalgic reminiscences for countless people, spanning several …show more content…
Michener, and published in 1947. This book, although not exactly fiction, is the powerful literary work that led Michener to receive a Pulitzer Prize in 1948. Due to the significant racial tone and resounding message of acceptance, the musical also received a Pulitzer Prize in 1950. The powerful message and genuine characters resonated with audiences, and rightly so, as Michener’s words came derived from actual experiences. Michener recorded much of his experience as a Navy Lieutenant in the South Pacific during World War II. The stories he then turned into his Pulitzer Prize winning book Tales of the South Pacific. The book entailed 19 stories from occurrences and incidents, all of which were non-combat related. As if writing a book from his entire experience was not hard enough, there was more hard work ahead before the musical theatre world would inaugurate the monumental film that is South …show more content…
There were courageous moves from several players, and in casting, the producer and the composers proved just as daring. They chose to pair an opera singer who sings bass baritone, with a comedic musical performer, Mary Martin. On a less turbulent territory, South Pacific was amongst the first musical productions to distribute souvenir items, and a large array of selection. With that, every song in South Pacific, each song created by Rodgers and Hammerstein, became a hit. The songs included "Dites-Moi" – sung by Ngana and Jerome"A Cockeyed Optimist" – sung by Nellie, "Twin Soliloquies" – sung by Nellie and Emile, "Some Enchanted Evening" – sung by Emile, "Bloody Mary" – sung by Sailors, Seabees and Marines, "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" – sung by Sailors, Seabees and Marines, "Bali Ha 'i" – sung by Bloody Mary, Billis and Cable, "I 'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair" – sung by Nellie and Nurses, "I 'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy" – sung by Nellie and Nurses, "Younger Than Springtime" – sung by Cable, Soft shoe dance – Nurses and Seabees, "Happy Talk" – sung by Bloody Mary, "Honey Bun" – sung by Nellie and Girls, "You 've Got to Be Carefully Taught" – sung by Cable, "Honey Bun" (reprise) – sung by Billis, "This Nearly Was Mine" – sung by Emile, "Some Enchanted Evening" (reprise) – sung by Nellie, Finale