'Pacific' Tales

Okay, so last week was a little light here - my apologies. Today, though, the blog might get a bit heavy as I dig out from a few things - and prep for the reviews of the week: MTC's The Four of Us, The Drunken City at Playwrights Horizons, the Mint's revival of Hemingway's The Fifth Column, and, of course, Gypsy on Broadway.

The first thing that I want to post is about a new book from Laurence Maslon, which popped up when I dropped by Amazon.com to look at the new Dolly Parton CD - wondered if any of the songs on "Backwoods Barbie" were from the new 9 to 5 musical. The book is The South Pacific Companion, and it's being released just a little over a month after the revival of this Rodgers and Hammerstein classic opens at Lincoln Center Theater.

The description of "Companion" certainly tantalizes: "A story of passion, prejudice, and romance set against the tragedy of war, South Pacific reigns as one of the all-time great American musicals, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, among other accolades. Here for the first time is the authorized companion to South Pacific's many memorable incarnations spanning seven decades, from the original Broadway production of 1949 to the musical's first return to Broadway in spring 2008.

"Here is the evolution of the musical through its four creators: James Michener, upon whose Pulitzer Prize-winning short stories the musical was based; the great musical theater team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II; and the musical's cowriter and director Joshua Logan. Also detailed are the historical background of the battles and islands of the South Pacific through World War II and the unique translation of that "theater of war" into one of the most memorable productions in American musical history. The South Pacific Companion, authorized by The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, features the complete lyrics to all the major songs, rare photos, never-before-seen archival material, maps of the plot's war-torn locales, historical documents, and other insider information from every major theatrical, film, concert, and television production of the musical.

"Composer Richard Rodgers and lyricist/ librettist Oscar Hammerstein II joined forces in 1942 to create the most successful partnership in the American musical theater. In addition to South Pacific (1949), their prodigious output includes Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), The King and I (1951), and The Sound of Music (1959). Collectively, their musicals have earned thirty-five Tony Awards, fifteen Academy Awards, two Pulitzer Prizes, two Grammy Awards, and two Emmy Awards."

Anyway, the release date for this book from Fireside is May 6. You can find it at Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/South-Pacific-Companion-Laurence-Maslon/dp/1416573135/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206364157&sr=1-1

QUICK LINK: www.lct.org