Reba McEntire: Ensign Nellie Forbush

Brian Stokes Mitchell: Emile de Becque

Jason Danieley: Lt. Joseph Cable

Lillias White: Bloody Mary

Conrad John Schuck: Capt. George Brackett

Dylan Baker: Cmdr. William Harbison

Alec Baldwin: Luther Billis

Alexio Barboza: Jerome, Emile’s son

Alex de Castro: Ngana, Emile’s daughter

Renita Croney: Liat, Bloody Mary’s daughter

Alexander Gemignani: Stewpot

Tom Deckman: Professor

South Pacific Ensemble: Nurses, Islanders, Officers, Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers

Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Paul Gemignani: Conductor

Web Credits

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Art Director: Sabina Daley
Flash Design & Programming: Stephanie Liu
Graphic Art: Ying Zhou-Hudson
Technical Director: Brian Lee
PHP Scripting: Ben Chappel
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation Assistance: Brian Santalone
Writer: Thomas Hischak

GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages copyright © 2006 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

About the Writer

Thomas S. Hischak is the author of 15 books on theater, film, and popular music, including THE OXFORD COMPANION TO AMERICAN THEATRE (3rd edition) and AMERICAN THEATRE: A CHRONICLE (Oxford University Press); THEATRE AS HUMAN ACTION, THROUGH THE SCREEN DOOR, BOY LOSES GIRL: BROADWAY’S LIBRETTISTS, and ENTER THE PLAYERS (Scarecrow Press); AMERICAN PLAYS AND MUSICALS ON SCREEN (McFarland); THE TIN PAN ALLEY SONG ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE THEATREGOER’S ALMANAC, and WORD CRAZY: BROADWAY LYRICISTS FROM COHAN TO SONDHEIM (Greenwood Press). He is professor of theater at the State University of New York College at Cortland and the author of 20 published plays.

Television Credits

“SOUTH PACIFIC” IN CONCERT FROM CARNEGIE HALL

Music by
Richard Rodgers

Lyrics by
Oscar Hammerstein II

Book by
Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC by James A. Michener

Orchestrations by
Robert Russell Bennett

Dance and Incidental Music Arranged by
Trude Rittmann

Starring
Reba McEntire
Ensign Nellie Forbush

Brian Stokes Mitchell
Emile de Becque

Jason Danieley
Lt. Joseph Cable

Lillias White
Bloody Mary

Conrad John Schuck
Capt. George Brackett

Dylan Baker
Cmdr. William Harbison

and
Alec Baldwin
Luther Billis

With
Alexio Barboza
Jerome

Alex de Castro
Ngana

Renita Croney
Liat

Alexander Gemignani
Stewpot

Tom Deckman
Professor

Musical Staging by
Casey Nicholaw

Concert Adaptation by
David Ives

Sound Design by
Nevin Steinberg

Lighting Designer
Alan Adelman

Scenic Consultant
John Lee Beatty

Casting Consultants
Jay Binder, CSA/Jack Bowdan, CSA

Costume Consultant
Catherine Zuber

Associate Director
Marc Bruni

Orchestra of St. Luke’s

South Pacific Ensemble

Musical Director and Conductor
Paul Gemignani

Directed for the Concert Stage by
Walter Bobbie

Director
David Horn

Producer
John Walker

Audio Producer
Jay David Saks

Editors
Gary Bradley
Laura Young

Line Producer
Julie Schapiro Thorman

Associate Producer
Cara Cosentino

Associate Director
Karen McLaughlin

Stage Manager
Hank Neimark

Engineer in Charge
Mark Schubin

Technical Director
Manse Sharpe

Audio Designer
Bill King

Audio Engineer
David Hewitt

Post Production Audio
Ken Hahn

Audio
Daryl Bornstein
Pete Erskine
Phil Gitomer
Rick Jacobsohn
Sean McClintock
Blake Norton
Chris Peterson

Video Operators
Frank Grisanti
Susan Noll

Video Tape
Alan Buchner

Cameras
Miguel Armstrong
Juan Barrera
Win Bernfeld
Robert Del Russo
Manny Gutierrez
Ernie Jew
John Kosmaczewski
Pat Minietta
John Pry
Larry Solomon
Mark Whitman

Utility
Anthony DeFonzo
Tom Carroll
Vincent DeMaio
Bob Benedetti
Mike Cunningham

Video Maintenance
Scott Jazmin

Gaffer
Mike Callahan

Varilite
John Ellar
Richie Tydall

Graphic Design
David Chomowicz

Hair & Makeup
Angelina Avellone
Marisa Fazzina
George Vargas

Production Assistant for Television
Adam Fels

Production Secretary
Jessica Lacombe

Music Coordinator
Kristen Sonntag

Production Aides
Brian Graham
David Lanphier

Assistant Stage Manager
Leigh Boone

Rehearsal Pianist
Paul Ford

Music Preparation Coordinator
Katherine Edmonds

Assistant Costume Consultants
T. Michael Hall
David Newell
Michael Zecker

Production Assistants
Anika Chapin
Jessica Mazo

Food Services Compliments of
Restaurant Associates, Inc

For Carnegie Hall
Chairman
Sanford I. Weill

Executive and Artistic Director
Clive Gillinson

Senior Directors
Ara Guzelimain, Artistic Advisor
Richard A. Maltlaga

Program Planning and Operations
Anna Weber
Kathy Schuman
Lea Slusher
Leo Gambacorta
Kimo Gerald
James Badrak

Stage Crew
Ken Beltrone
John Cardinale
James Scollany
John Goodson
Dennis O’Connell

Carnegie Hall would like to thank Deloitte, as well as Leni and Peter May and family, The Alice Tully Foundation, The Rodgers Family Foundation, and Alice Hammerstein Mathias, whose generous support made the performance of “South Pacific” possible.

For The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
Thedore S. Chapin
Victoria Traube
Bert Fink
Bruce Pomahac

For GREAT PERFORMANCES
Series Producer
David Horn

Director, Program Development
Bill O’Donnell

Executive Producer
Barry Schulman

A production of Thirteen/WNET New York, Carnegie Hall, and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.

© 2006 The Carnegie Hall Corporation

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

Brian Stokes Mitchell, the dashing baritone and acclaimed actor in several Broadway productions, plays the French planter Emile de Becque in the concert version of “South Pacific.” Mitchell was born in Seattle and grew up on naval bases in Guam and the Philippines, where his father was a civilian engineer for the military. He began acting professionally in regional theaters in California before finding notice on the television series TRAPPER JOHN, M.D. He first appeared on Broadway in the short-lived musicals “Mail” and “Oh, Kay!,” then replaced others in major roles in “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Mitchell became a Broadway star with his passionate performance as the piano player-turned-radical Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime,” which he followed up with leading roles in revivals of “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Man of La Mancha.” He has also shone in plays, most memorably on Broadway as King in August Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” and frequently performs in concerts and special performances, such as the Sondheim Festival at the Kennedy Center, where he appeared in “Sweeney Todd.”

GREAT PERFORMANCES: How familiar were you with “South Pacific” and the character of Emile de Becque before you worked on this Carnegie Hall concert?

Brian Stokes Mitchell: I had never seen the musical on stage or a complete film version on television, but I knew bits and pieces of the story and had constructed the plot in my mind. But when I read the script I realized the plot I had imagined was completely wrong. I did know the music, though. That I was very familiar with.

GP: Emile is usually played as a distinguished, somewhat distant man of the world who is very confident of himself. A nice contrast to the extroverted but insecure Nellie Forbush. But your Emile seemed much more approachable — a vulnerable, very human man with a lot to lose. How did you approach the character?

BSM: At first I thought he was a rather uninteresting character. I knew he had usually been played by singers, not actors, and I didn’t think there was much depth there. But working on the piece, I realized that Emile is indeed vulnerable and, yes, he has a lot to lose. Then I found him an incredibly interesting man. Here he is alone in the world, raising two kids without a wife, and he meets this woman so unlike himself. It’s quite a challenge for him to act on his feelings for her. The stakes are high.

GP: As with Emile in “South Pacific,” you’ve played several classic musical theater roles in revivals: Petruchio/Fred in “Kiss Me, Kate,” Cervantes/Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Sweeney Todd. These roles were created by famous actor-singers and their original performances are also considered classics. Does this intimidate you?

BSM: Not at all. Like most of the audience, I never saw most of these famous performances. I’ve heard the recordings, but I don’t have this specific picture in my mind. I approach the character with my own point of view and don’t worry about how he was played in the past by such and such a performer. When I was preparing “Kiss Me, Kate,” I did go to the Museum of Broadcasting and watched an old kinescope of Alfred Drake doing the role on a television special. It was interesting, but I didn’t feel any need to try to copy him. I have one advantage over the great performers who created these classic roles: with the microphone, I can do some subtle things with the songs that may not have been possible when the actor had to fill the house with his voice.

GP: You’ve done long runs on Broadway and short, limited runs as well. “South Pacific” was a one-night-only special event. Is it exciting to be part of such a gala happening or is it frustrating not getting to play the piece over a period of time?

BSM: The answer is yes. It is very frustrating and yet it is thrilling at the same time. Usually I don’t feel comfortable with a character until I’ve played him before an audience for several performances. It is not until after three months of performing that I learn to discover what I call all the nooks and crannies of the person. With the Encores! concerts and special one-night programs, such as this one at Carnegie Hall, everything is special. You still have scripts in your hand, you’ve only worked with the orchestra briefly, and much of your energy is to get it right and not fall on your face. At the same time, it is a thrilling experience. In some ways it was the perfect way to do “South Pacific,” because no Broadway production could assemble that cast, that large orchestra, over and over again.

GP: With your performance as Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime,” you got to create a new, classic role in musical theater. Are you sent new material all the time?

BSM: I am sometimes offered new scripts. I’m still looking for that great opportunity to create a new role, such as Coalhouse Walker. But such a prize role does not come often. When it does … that’s something very special.

Interview by Thomas Hischak for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online conducted in April 2006.

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

The year 1949 found Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein at a crossroads in their collaboration. They had enjoyed outstanding success together with “Oklahoma!” (1943) and “Carousel” (1945) on stage and with STATE FAIR (1945) on the screen, but they had stumbled awkwardly with “Allegro” (1947) on Broadway. The ambitious, experimental work had much to recommend it, but Hammerstein’s original book was too scattered to satisfy audiences and critics. The team needed to reestablish their reputation as Broadway’s premiere creators of the musical play. James Michener’s series of World War II stories titled “Tales of the South Pacific” seemed like an ideal vehicle, rich with distinctive characters, exotic locales, and potent themes. Yet “South Pacific” would break away from the established Rodgers and Hammerstein model in many ways.

First of all, the team was known for re-creating Americana on stage. These tales were set in a foreign land and, while most of the characters were American, they were reacting to situations that were far from homespun. Second, Hammerstein was an expert at dramatizing novels and plays for the musical stage, but Michener’s book consisted of short stories, not one of which could sustain a full-length musical drama by itself. But Hammerstein rose to the occasion and, working closely with co-librettist and director Joshua Logan, took characters and plots from three of the stories and fashioned them into a coherent, unified libretto. Another anomaly about “South Pacific” is that it was the first (and one of the few) Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals written for established stars. Although their previous Broadway efforts had helped launch the careers of Alfred Drake, Celeste Holm, John Raitt, and Lisa Kirk, those earlier musicals featured no names above the title. The musical itself was the star. But “South Pacific” was written and composed with Broadway belter Mary Martin and Metropolitan Opera bass Ezio Pinza specifically in mind. The pairing of two such voices was so unusual in Broadway tradition that the writers wisely kept the two stars from singing simultaneously until close to the end of the first act, figuring that audiences would accept the combination once they were involved with the stars as characters and not merely as singers. The captivating duet “Twin Soliloquies” early in the show is simply that: two separate solos that alternate, giving the illusion of a rhapsodic operetta duet without any vocal overlapping.

But of all the challenges facing Rodgers and Hammerstein in their new venture, the most daunting was theme. Racial prejudice had only rarely been the issue in a Broadway musical. Jerome Kern’s and Hammerstein’s “Show Boat” (1927) evoked the plight of African Americans in the post-Civil War South, the Gershwins tackled similar themes in “Porgy and Bess” (1935), and E. Y. Harburg, Fred Saidy, and associates took on slavery and segregation in their mocking Civil War musical “Bloomer Girl” (1944) and their satiric fantasy “Finian’s Rainbow” (1947). While the ache of prejudice and oppression served as the background for these musicals, it was central in “South Pacific.” Consider the fact that this was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with no villain of any kind. The world is at war and there is conflict all around, but one cannot say that the real enemy in “South Pacific” is the Japanese military. No character in the musical attempts to harm, hinder, or provoke any other character. Yet, all dramas need a protagonist and an antagonist. “South Pacific” is no exception, but the conflicts in this musical are internal. The deep-seated prejudice that lies within nurse Nellie Forbush and Lieutenant Joe Cable provide the complications. These two are threatened by no one but their own prejudices, fears, and traditional way of thinking. “South Pacific” is the first (and remains one of the very few) musicals to draw its emotional power not merely from a love story, but from a cruel, unbending inner doubt.

While Nellie and Cable are both Americans, each caught in a romance with a foreign and questionable love, they suffer from different kinds of prejudice. Nellie comes from the segregated South; a spunky Arkansas girl, she is not highly educated, but is not afraid to be thought of as different. One reason she left home and got involved in the war was her discontent with the narrow-minded view of the world that surrounded her. The other nurses tease her for her “cockeyed” optimism, and she seems game for ‘most any adventure. Falling in love with the eloquent, sophisticated French planter Emile de Becque is an adventure, and her only doubts about the romance come from wondering what such an intelligent gent sees in a “little hick” like herself. But when she finds out about Emile’s previous marriage and is confronted with the idea that she might be stepmother to two Polynesian children, the adventure becomes too rough and her Arkansas background kicks in. Her overriding love for Emile (especially when she fears that he has died on the dangerous mission she drove him to) helps her conquer her prejudices. Cable, on the other hand, is a college-educated Northerner from a wealthy family and has a pretty good sense about how the world operates. He should, one would think, be more prepared to deal with prejudice. After all, he is no hick; he is the enlightened American, dedicated to a cause, selfless in his outlook, and willing to die for something important. Yet he cannot see himself breaking with his Philadelphia Main Line fiancée and returning to America with a Polynesian wife. That takes too much courage, even for a war hero. Cable, in the musical’s most potent and bitter song, argues that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” to carry on your ancestors’ prejudice. He can describe, calculate, and even explain his prejudice; what he cannot do is overcome it until it’s too late.

The theme of prejudice in “South Pacific” is not subtle and was not meant to be merely suggested or mildly alluded to. During final rehearsals, some acquaintances of the collaborators suggested to Rodgers and Hammerstein that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” be cut, fearing that it might turn off or even antagonize audiences. Hammerstein said they might as well cancel the whole production if safe complacency was the goal. The song remained in the show and yes, it did (and still does) turn off and even antagonize some spectators. During the first national tour, “South Pacific” ran into trouble from locals over the song and the show had to avoid cities where its deletion was required. Although the lack of racial tolerance in the musical is about Asians, its pertinence to all kinds of prejudice was not lost on anyone.

Today, some like to dismiss Rodgers and Hammerstein’s handling of such difficult issues in “South Pacific” as simplistic. Nellie overcomes her doubts and ends up with Emile; Cable cannot conquer his and he dies. Is that begging the question or just finding a dramatic way of saying something potent within the framework of a musical entertainment? We like to pride ourselves on believing we are more tolerant and see the issues of race with a more complex understanding today. But how many of us would have had the courage to do in 1949 what Rodgers and Hammerstein did in “South Pacific”?

–Thomas Hischak

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

“SOUTH PACIFIC” IN CONCERT FROM CARNEGIE HALL premiered on April 26, 2006 on PBS (check local listings).

Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning blockbuster was a landmark of post-World War II Broadway, a provocative romantic drama that beguiled audiences with a hit parade of instant standards. Last June, “South Pacific” reached new heights when, for one enchanted evening, Carnegie Hall presented a magnificent concert production with a dream cast headed by Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jason Danieley, Lillias White, and Alec Baldwin. Directed for the concert stage by Walter Bobbie, with musical director Paul Gemignani conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the performance was acclaimed by THE NEW YORK TIMES as “a state of nearly unconditional rapture,” praising the production for locating “the show’s real staying power in its operatic respect for love as a force that hurts, teases, destroys and ennobles.”

“South Pacific” was among Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most successful and critically acclaimed shows, winning nine Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, in 1950. Although its first Broadway revival will not occur until the 2007-08 season (when it is presented by Lincoln Center Theater), “South Pacific” has lived on in thousands of productions, both professional and amateur, over the years, as well as in two movie versions.

Learn why “South Pacific” had to be a hit for the duo and the difficulties they encountered in presenting the controversial theme at the heart of the musical in the essay by contributor Thomas Hischak. See all the numbers from the musical in the song list, which includes links to video excerpts from the concert performance. Find photos from the original production in the Multimedia Presentation, and read an interview with musical theater star Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Special funding for the program was provided by The Rodgers Family Foundation and The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.

Related Web Sites

• Carnegie Hall
• The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
  
• Reba McEntire
• Alec Baldwin
• Lillias White
• Jason Danieley

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Why did you choose to do “Oklahoma!”?

Trevor Nunn: Because I love any work that involves, in one way or another, the creation of a community. I love pieces that have a strong social context, a foreground and a background, and I love to have as many stories as possible. I saw “Oklahoma!” again entirely because of my children. I watched the old film over their shoulders and saw how this wonderful score had elements of hymnal and folk music, Aaron Copland, as well as romantic song. And I realized that a musical about people from the sticks who were alive 70 years ago must have seemed such a doomed thing for Rodgers and Hammerstein to take on. Yet, this was the musical that changed everything, mainly because Hammerstein insisted on writing the words, that is, book and lyrics, before Rodgers wrote any music. So the music had to serve the drama of the musical, if you like.

GP: You have a live audience in the film. How does that work?

TN: We filmed a performance with an audience, and through the audience, and then filmed in a studio for just under two weeks which, when you’re dealing with choreography and “playback” — which is actors singing in the studio with prerecorded orchestra and voices — is not all that long a time! But I had filmed in a similar way when I directed “The Comedy of Errors,” which had musical sections, and “Porgy and Bess,” with the same producer, Richard Price, so I knew what was needed.

GP: What are the gains and the losses of filming a theater production?

TN: The most immediate and important gain is reaching such a huge audience. And on film, you can get the detail and intensity of a performance absolutely clear. You can also see what’s going on behind the actors’ eyes, whether they’re speaking or singing, and it’s wonderful to know that all the detailed work in rehearsal is going to survive on film. I love the gain of the constant variety of points of view and angles. The choreographic numbers refresh themselves in that way. The main loss is the reality of people singing for you on the night, the ingredient of stamina in the performance, and the possibility, of course, that something could always go wrong.

GP: Hugh Jackman is well known now from the X-MEN movies and his star turn on Broadway in “The Boy from Oz,” and has been voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by PEOPLE magazine. But he was completely unknown when you cast him as Curly.

TN: I cast him first as Joe Gillis in the Australian production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard.” I always ask people at musical auditions to do an acting piece as well. He did a speech of Henry V’s, which is very, very unusual … and when he came to audition for Curly, he did a bravura bit of Hotspur [from "Henry IV"], a very good idea for Curly! Hugh has a great quality of revelation and also a purity of spirit, which can make that connection with the great outside landscape of “Oklahoma!” He has that sort of soul.

GP: Shuler Hensley, too, is marvelous as Jud. He won an Olivier Award for his performance in London, but is even less well known than Hugh Jackman was!

TN: Shuler is one of those incredibly talented Americans who couldn’t get work in America, so he found employment in Germany in American musicals. He married an English girl and came to a chorus audition in London. He was a big guy who could dance a bit, who might have been one of the farmhands. After a little work together, it was clear he was Jud. Look no further. He’s dynamite.

GP: How important was your work with the choreographer Susan Stroman?

TN: Nothing I did was without her. We spent most of our time in each other’s rehearsals. I don’t like working with people who guard their own territory. All the best work is done in collaboration. And it was always an idea we shared that we should have principals who could dance the dream ballet so that it wasn’t, as it is usually is, a separate entity performed by dancers you never see again. For the first time, the ballet is a further exploration of the characters themselves, and we couldn’t have done it without Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey. She had been a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Portugal. She also sings like a bird and is a very fine actress.

GP: What next: is it Shakespeare or musical theater, finally, for you?

TN: It is both. I have never, ever, made a categorical differentiation between the two. I’m longing to do “West Side Story” one day, and I’m talking to Ian McKellen about “King Lear.” I would give anything to do both. Meanwhile, I’m planning the new Lloyd Webber, “The Woman in White,” for London next year. I’m doing a Shakespeare, a workshop of a new play towards a production, television, I’m talking about doing a film, I’m doing an opera in Salzburg … so I’m having a great time. And “Oklahoma!” was a real high point.

Interview by writer Michael Coveney for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online.

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Art Director: Sabina Daley
Designer & Flash Programmer: Karen Mattson
Graphic Art: Karen Mattson
Technical Director: Brian Lee
PHP Scripting: Ben Chappel
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation Assistance: Brian Santalone
Writers: Michael Coveney, Thomas Hischak
Lesson Plan: Adrienne J. Kupper

GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages copyright © 2003 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

About the Writers

Michael Coveney is the theater critic for the DAILY MAIL in London. He has written books about the Glasgow Citizens Theatre, the actress Dame Maggie Smith, the film director Mike Leigh, the actor Sir Robert Stephens, and now Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. His critically acclaimed book about the composer, CATS ON A CHANDELIER, was published in London in 1999 and draws on extensive conversations with Lloyd Webber, as well as with many of his colleagues, friends, and family. An updated paperback version of the book, THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER STORY, was published in the summer of 2000.

Thomas Hischak is the author of 13 books on theater, film, and Tin Pan Alley, including THE OXFORD COMPANION TO AMERICAN THEATRE (Oxford University Press), THROUGH THE SCREEN DOOR: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BROADWAY MUSICAL WHEN IT WENT TO HOLLYWOOD (Scarecrow Press), THE TIN PAN ALLEY SONG ENCYCLOPEDIA (Greenwood Press), BOY LOSES GIRL: BROADWAY’S LIBRETTISTS (Scarecrow Press), and WORD CRAZY: BROADWAY LYRICISTS FROM COHAN TO SONDHEIM (Praeger Press). He is Professor of Theatre at the State University of New York College at Cortland and the author of 18 published plays.

Television Credits

The Royal National Theatre Production

Directed by
Trevor Nunn

Choreography by
Susan Stroman

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!”

Music by
Richard Rodgers

Book and Lyrics by
Oscar Hammerstein II

Based upon the play
“Green Grow the Lilacs”
by Lynn Riggs

Stage Lighting Designed by
David Hersey

Stage Lighting Adapted for Film by
Jenny Kagan

Director of Photography
Paul Wheeler BSC

Edited by
Keith Palmer

Art Director
Eric Walmsley

Fight Director
Malcolm Ranson

Production & Costume Designed by
Anthony Ward

Line Producer
Andy Picheta

Produced by
Richard Price and Chris Hunt

Directed by
Trevor Nunn and Chris Hunt

Cast in order of appearance

Aunt Eller: Maureen Lipman
Curly: Hugh Jackman
Laurey: Josefina Gabrielle
Ike Skidmore: David Shelmerdine
Will Parker: Jimmy Johnston
Jud: Shuler Hensley
Ado Annie Carnes: Vicki Simon
Ali Hakim: Peter Polycarpou
Gertie Cummings: Rebecca Thornhill
Andrew Carnes: Sidney Livingstone
Cord Elam: Stuart Milligan
Aggie: Helen Anker
Kate: Julie Barnes
Slim: Luke Baxter
Jake: Warren Carlyle
Lucy: Leigh Constantine
Rosie: Amanda Courtney-Davies
Mike: Philip Cox
Armina: Marilyn Cutts
Susie: Zoe Dawson
Ellen: Susie Dumbreck
Jess: Tom Dwyer
Joe: Howard Ellis
Sam: Shaun Henson
Sylvie: Sarah Ingram
Tom: Neil Johnson
Vivian: Nicola Keen
Corky: Fergus Logan
Emily: Helen Missing
Fred: Craig Purnell
Chalmers: Kevin Wainwright
Mabel: Sarah Bayliss
Alice: Elizabeth Cooper Gee
Seth: Chirs Coleman
Juthroe: Ben Garner
Children: Pennie Mosley, Holly Tuffney, Ricky Lee Mays, Kai Pearce

Dances for the Original Theatre Guild Production by
Agnes de Mille

Assistant Choreographer
Warren Carlyle

Dance Captain
Sarah Bayliss

Dance Production Assistant
Jill Green

Music Director
John Owen Edwards

Original Orchestrations
Robert Russell Bennett

Additional Orchestrations
William David Brohn

New Dance Music Arranged by
David Krane

Location Music Director
Jonathan Best

Musicians of the Royal National Theatre
Anna Hemery, Leader

Music Producer
David Caddick

Sound Engineer, Music
David Hunt

With Special Thanks to
Ted Chapin & Victoria Traube
First Night Records
Shepperton Studios
The Staff of the Royal National Theatre

Production Manager
Judy Chesterman

1st Assistant Director
Harry Storey

Stage Manager
Courtney Bryant

Makeup & Hair Designer
Karen Dawson-Harding

Costume Supervisor
Fizz Jones

Production Coordinator
Rebecca Pope

Camera Operators
Nigel Kirton
Julian Morson
Philip Sindall

Focus Pullers
Mark Milsome
Olly Tellett
David Tondeur

Clapper Loaders
Harry Bowers
Susan Jacobson
Nigel Seal

Key Grip
Steve Pugh

Grips
Andy Hopkins
Malcolm Sheehan

Technocrane Technician
Daniel Hegarty

Video Coordinator
Tibor Kuo

Director’s Assistant
Tricia Canavan

2nd Assistant Director
Richard Stewart

3rd Assistant Director
Daphne Pardee

Production Runners
Bruce Parry
Adam Lock
Emma Jamieson
Joe Geary
Niki Wakeman

Assistant to Trevor Nunn
Moragh Darby

Assistant to Richard Price
Marie Thompson

Production Sound Mixer
Chris Ashworth AMPS

SADiE Operator
Bob Newton AMPS

Boom Operators
Tom Staples
Mike Reardon AMPS

Monitor Engineer
Ben Kirby

Sound Assistant
Gary Cummings

Assistant Art Director
Anna Dargavel

Scenic Supervisor
Gary Watson

Property Master
Ian Newton

Construction Manager
Andrew Ivey

Visual Effects Designer
Christopher Lawson

Scenic Artists
Peter Nurse
Robert Dugdale
Gavin Gibson
Linsay Tufnell

Scene Crew
Danny Euston
Dempsey Cook
Fred Morris
Dennis Wiseman

For the Royal National Theatre

Production Manager
Annie Gosney

Assistant Production Manager
Tom Richardson

Film Lighting Gaffer
Gary Willis

Best Boy
Ricky Jones

Senior Production Electrician
Gerry Amies

Board Operator
Dave Stewart

Electricians
Martin Chisnall
Mike Dawes
Tony Dunne
Micky Flynn
Chris Luscombe

Lighting Rigger
Stefan Kopec

Makeup & Hair Artists
Norma Webb
Jill Hornby
Deborah Jarvis
Nicky Perkins
Barbara Taylor
Anita Casali
Annabel Jardella
Nikita Rae
Jill Thomas
Lynda Tully

Makeup & Hair Assistant
Nicki Storey

Costume Assistant Supervisor
Wendy Miles

Costume Assistants
Babette Lee
Gina Tornatore
Bella White
Jane Spicer
Claire Wilson

Unit Stills Photographer
Simon Farrell

Assistant Editor
Jim Lownie

Colorist
Gary Szabo (tape)
Alan Kempster (film)

Conform Editor
Steve Dix

Dubbing Mixer
Colin Martin

Sound Editors
Michael J. Hopkins
Sue Lenny
Brian Blamey

Unit Publicity
CJP Public Relations Ltd.

Production Accountant
Andrew Heffernan

Legal Services
Whitehouse & Co.

RPTA and Iambic Productions gratefully acknowledge the help of
Sky Productions
Sveriges Television
Mediatrade
NHK / MICO
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Channel 4 Television

Produced in association with The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
© Oklahoma! Screen Productions Ltd. 1999

For GREAT PERFORMANCES

Series Producer
David Horn

Producer
John Walker

Director of Program Development
Bill O’Donnell

Executive Producer
Jac Venza

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

“Overture”
Music by Richard Rodgers
Orchestra

“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Hugh Jackman

“The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle, Maureen Lipman

“Kansas City”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Jimmy Johnston, Maureen Lipman, the Boys

“I Cain’t Say No”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Vicki Simon

“Many a New Day”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Josefina Gabrielle, the Girls

“It’s a Scandal! It’s a Outrage!”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Peter Polycarpou, Farmers

“People Will Say We’re in Love”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle

“Poor Jud Is Daid”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Hugh Jackman, Shuler Hensley

“Lonely Room”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Shuler Hensley

“Out of My Dreams/Ballet”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Josefina Gabrielle, the Girls, Dream Figures

“The Farmer and the Cowman”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Sidney Livingstone, Maureen Lipman, Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Johnston, Vicki Simon, Company

“All er Nothin’”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Jimmy Johnston, Vicki Simon

“Oklahoma”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle, Maureen Lipman, Company

“Finale Ultimo”
Music and lyrics by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
Entire Company

This new film of “Oklahoma!” preserves all the freshness and vitality of the original staging at London’s Royal National Theatre, the evocative designs of Anthony Ward, and the stunning choreography of Broadway’s own Susan Stroman, who is also responsible for the choreography in the smash hit musical version of “The Producers.”

Filming musicals, of course, is always difficult. In this instance, Trevor Nunn and his co-director, Chris Hunt, opted for preserving the stage setting and, indeed, the atmosphere in the Olivier auditorium in the National itself. We zoom into the audience as the overture strikes up, and many of the musical numbers and characters’ exits are followed by “live” applause and a cutaway panning shot of the auditorium, with its mauve seats, concrete interior, and mass of palpably enthusiastic, casually dressed theatergoers.

We can see the revolving stage go around. We know that the backdrop is painted blue and the Oklahoma landscape a sandy orange. And the scene changes are clearly visible, as when the action moves from the Claremore train station to the high cornfields, where we first meet the Persian peddler, Ali Hakim, as he trundles on with his wagon of ribbons and bibelots with Ado Annie in tow.

“Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’,” that famous opening number, with Aunt Eller churning butter and the irrepressible cowboy Curly appearing at the farmhouse in his carefree manner, dressed in a cotton shirt and leather pants, is one of the most gorgeous and most simple in musical theater history. Hugh Jackman, who plays Curly with such dynamic charm and appeal, says that the lyrics of that first song have nice big vowels, making it easy to open his mouth and let rip without feeling he has to strain for effect.

All the same, this film is very much a record of a performance, without any false attempt to “make a film,” except where the camera can close right in on the actors’ expressions or take a sideways view of the stage action. We therefore have a double bonus of seeing a great theater show without feeling we are watching it through a static frame. A lot of “Oklahoma!” is about dream and pretense, so when Curly boasts that he will take Laurey to the box social in a “surrey with the fringe on top,” he does so while sitting astride a rusty old agricultural contraption. The ambition is rooted in the everyday life on a farm, the simplicity of theater.

This approach preserves the theatrical architecture of the musical in all its glory, with the swirling choreography executed in a seemingly confined space, but explosively inventive nonetheless. And Oscar Hammerstein’s libretto, loyally based on the 1931 play “Green Grow the Lilacs” by Lynn Riggs, is revealed as a masterpiece of construction, every scene flowing to the next and through the matchless score of Richard Rodgers. The composer’s daughter, Mary Rodgers, is on record with her view of Trevor Nunn’s version: “It is a better production than the original. And I’m one of the few people who saw the original.”

The main narrative strand concerns Laurey’s choice of partner for the social. Will she go with Curly, the cowboy, or with the moody loner Jud Fry, the hired farmhand? That choice, and indeed that rivalry, between the cattle rancher and the farming community — expressed in the rousing Act II opener, “The Farmer and the Cowman (Should Be Friends)” — reflects what Nunn calls “the historical inevitability” of the musical and indeed what actually happened once this Indian territory became a new state in the Union. The contest was refined into pure theater at the end of Act I, when a ballet sequence — staged in the 1943 premiere by the legendary Agnes de Mille — takes us into the interior emotional world of courtship, seduction, and obsession in the love triangle.

Above all, though, “Oklahoma!” is about a new dawn for a new love, a new school, a new frontier, and a new state. This bursting sense of change is what characterizes the Nunn revival, and not even the slight pall cast on the proceedings by the ugly scenes following the wedding of Curly and Laurey can spoil the overall mood. A new society must discover how best to exercise the laws of justice, and the homely, conciliatory wisdom of Maureen Lipman’s Aunt Eller will remain a crucial ingredient.

On Broadway three years ago, the entrance to the Gershwin Theatre was garlanded with a great banner quoting the title song: “We know we belong to the land, and the land we belong to is grand.” When the camera pans along the line of actors at Curly and Laurey’s wedding feast and the female voices rise in melodic descant, we are witnessing the birth of a nation, no less.

This is the power and the glory of this revival of “Oklahoma!,” and it remains as potent a statement in a world that has changed in so many ways as when the show gave so much joy to so many people on both sides of the Atlantic during and after the Second World War.

Americans still have plenty to be proud of, and “Oklahoma!” reminds them why.

Still “doin’ fine” after 60 years, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s landmark American musical “Oklahoma!” is reborn in this film version of the Royal National Theatre of Great Britain’s award-winning production. Directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Susan Stroman, it set box office records during its run in London, and again on Broadway, with critics and audiences alike captivated by its fresh new take on a venerable classic. Luckily for television audiences, the magic of the original London cast was captured in a deluxe film adaptation just prior to the show’s move from the RNT to the West End; it includes a sensational, star-making performance by X-Man Hugh Jackman as Curly. Also featured are original cast members Josefina Gabrielle as Laurey, Maureen Lipman (THE PIANIST) as Aunt Eller, and 2002 Best Supporting Actor Tony winner Shuler Hensley as the menacing yet hauntingly sympathetic Jud Fry.

Special funding for this program was provided by Daimler-Chrysler and the Irene Diamond Fund.