Daphne Rubin-Vega, Alex Newell, and More to Star in South Pacific Gala

The nonprofit Broadway Dreams announced that it will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical South Pacific with a special concert gala in the Roof Ballroom at the St. Regis New York on December 10 at 7pm.

Carmen Cusack (Bright Star), Alex Newell (Once on This Island), two-time Tony nominee Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent), Jose Llana (The King and I), Isabelle McCalla (The Prom), Morgan James (Motown the Musical), and Karim Sulayman (Songs of Orpheus) will star in the event. The cast will offer new interpretations of songs from the musical with new arrangements by music director Steven Jamail. The evening will open with remarks from Pulitzer Prize-winning immigrant-rights activist Jose Antonio Vargas.

Based on James A. Michener's Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, the musical follows Nellie Forbush, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, who falls in love with Emile de Becque, a French plantation owner, while stationed on a South Pacific island during World War II. The score features iconic tunes including "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," "Some Enchanted Evening," "There Is Nothing Like a Dame," "Younger Than Springtime," and "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy."

The Broadway Dreams Foundation provides training to thousands of young performers through a series of intensive programs led by a faculty of Broadway's biggest stars, directors, casting directors, and agents.