South Pacific

South Pacific is a musical play by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, first performed in 1949. The musical is based on some short stories by James A. Michener, entitled Tales of the South Pacific. The original cast included Mary Martin, who created the role of the heroine, Nellie Forbush, and opera star Ezio Pinza[?], for whom the part of Emile de Becque was specially written.

Warning: wikipedia contains spoilers

The main storyline concerns a U.S. Navy nurse stationed on a Pacific island during World War II. Having fallen in love with a middle-aged French plantation owner, she is shocked to discover that he has mixed-race children from an earlier relationship. A sub-plot deals with the romance between U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Joe Cable and a Tonkinese girl, Liat, the daughter of "Bloody Mary". The issue of racial prejudice is sensitively and candidly explored.

Songs include:

• Bali Ha'i
• There Is Nothing Like a Dame
• Some Enchanted Evening
• I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy
• Younger Than Springtime
• Happy Talk
• I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair
• This Nearly Was Mine

The musical was made into a successful film of 1958, starring Rossano Brazzi[?] and Mitzi Gaynor[?] in the leading roles, with Juanita Hall[?] in the part of Bloody Mary which she had played in the original stage production.

It has been filmed twice for television, in 1976 (directed by Julian Krainin[?]) and 2001 (directed by Richard Pearce[?] and starring Glenn Close.