LCT’s South Pacific Becomes Open-Ended Run

Lincoln Center Theater’s production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical South Pacific is now an open-ended run, thanks in part to near-unanimous rave reviews, with tickets on sale through January 4, 2009. The show had originally been scheduled to run until June 22.

The musical is based on James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific, and features music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, and a book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan. Ted Sperling conducts a 30-piece orchestra performing the original 1949 orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann.

Bartlett Sher directs the production, which stars Kelli O’Hara as Nellie Forbush, Paulo Szot as Emile deBecque, Loretta Ables Sayre as Bloody Mary, Matthew Morrison as Lieutenant Joe Cable, Danny Burstein as Luther Billis, and Skipp Sudduth as Captain Brackett.

The show also features Sean Cullen, Victor Hawks, Luka Kain, Li Jun Li, Laurissa Romain, Noah Weisberg, Becca Ayers, Wendi Bergimani, Genson Bimline, Grady McLeod Bowman, Charlie Brady, Matt Caplan, Christian Carter, Helmar Augustus Cooper, Jeremy Davis, Margot de la Barre, Christian Delcroix, Laura Marie Duncan, Mike Evariste, Laura Griffith, Lisa Howard, Maryann Hu, Zachary James, Robert Lenzi, Garrett Long, Nick Mayo, George Merrick, William Michals, Kimber Monroe, Emily Morales, Darius Nichols, George Psomas, Andrew Samonsky, and Jerold E. Solomon.

The show will receive a new Broadway cast recording, courtesy of Sony BMG Masterworks. The CD will be recorded on April 14, with a release date planned for May 27.

For TheaterMania’s review of South Pacific, click here.