South Pacific is considered to be one of the greatest Broadway musicals. The musical premiered in 1949 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. The show was a critical and box office hit and has since enjoyed many successful revivals and tours, also spawning a 1958 film and other adaptations.
The original Broadway production won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Libretto, and it is the only musical production ever to have won all four Tony Awards for acting. The 2008 Broadway revival was a strong success, winning numerous theatre awards. Its seven Tonys included Best Musical Revival. Sher and Szot also won Tonys, and the production won in all four design categories, also receiving nominations for choreography and for the performances of O'Hara, Burstein and Ables Sayre. It also won five Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Musical Revival. The late Robert Russell Bennett was recognized that season for "his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific."
Awards and nominations
Original Broadway production
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Pulitzer Prize | Drama | Won | |
| Tony Award | Best Musical | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical | Ezio Pinza | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Mary Martin | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical | Myron McCormick | Won | ||
| Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Juanita Hall | Won | ||
| Best Producer | Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers, Leland Hayward and Joshua Logan | Won | ||
| Best Director | Joshua Logan | Won | ||
| Best Libretto | Oscar Hammerstein II | Won | ||
| Best Original Score | Richard Rodgers | Won | ||
| 1949 | Best Scenic Design | Jo Mielziner | Won | |
2001 London revival
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actor in a Musical | Philip Quast | Won |
2001 Television film
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Emmy Award | Outstanding Music Direction | Paul Bogaev | Nominated |
| Outstanding Single Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Guntis Sics, Rick Ash, Joe Earle and Joel Moss | Nominated |
2008 Broadway revival
2011 London revival
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Musical Revival | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Paulo Szot | Nominated | ||
| Best Costume Design | Catherine Zuber | Nominated | ||
Notes
- A 2006 review stated: "Many are the knowledgeable and discriminating people for whom Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, brilliantly co-written and staged by Joshua Logan, was the greatest musical of all."
- South Pacific, Theatrehistory.com, accessed November 14, 2012. The veteran producer Arthur Hammerstein called it the greatest musical show Broadway had ever seen, perfect in every respect. The critic Richard Watts, Jr., described it as "a thrilling and exultant musical play, an utterly captivating work of theatrical art."
- Pulitzer Prize 1950, accessed June 24, 2011
- ^ South Pacific 1950 Tony winners, Tony Awards official website, accessed April 4, 2012
- Announcement of Tony Award nominations, 2008. Tonyawards.com
- Nolan, pp. 190–195
- "Olivier Winners 2002" Archived 2013-10-16 at the Wayback Machine, Olivier Awards official website, accessed April 7, 2012
- "Tony Awards Winners 2008". Tony Awards official website. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- Singh, Anita. Olivier Awards: Full list of nominations, The Telegraph, March 15, 2012, accessed June 11, 2013
- Singh, Anita. Young stars steal the show as Matilda sets Olivier records, The Telegraph, April 15, 2012, accessed June 11, 2013
References
- Nolan, Frederick. The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, New York, 2002. ISBN 1-55783-473-3
External links
- South Pacific at the Internet Broadway Database
- South Pacific at the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization
| James A. Michener's Tales of the South Pacific | |
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| Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical | |
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| Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical | |
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