The Chichester Festival Theatre will reopen its doors this summer with the venue’s new production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic South Pacific.
Originally planned as the centrepiece of the 2020 season, the production will now make its eagerly-awaited debut at the Festival Theatre from 5 July until 13 July 2021.
Announcing the new dates, executive director Kathy Bourne and artistic director Daniel Evans said: “Seldom can a summer have been as eagerly anticipated as this one. We are so proud and thankful to be able to say: we are reopening, we will be producing work on our stages and digitally, and we will continue to serve our community of audiences and theatre-makers.
“We know that Chichester’s summer musical is a highlight of the year for people locally, regionally and nationally. South Pacific should have been the centrepiece of Festival 2020; we couldn’t be more thrilled that it will finally open this July, with a superb cast and creative team who’ve waited a year to bring it to fruition.
“While South Pacific will initially be booking with a reduced capacity auditorium and a dedicated socially distanced performance every week, our hope is that, later in 2021, we will see the return of non-socially distanced audiences with a renewed confidence and appetite for Festival 2021 later this spring.”
South Pacific is the second consecutive new production of a Rodgers and Hammerstein favourite at the prestigious venue following on from the critic and crowd-pleasing production of Oklahoma! in 2019.
Evans takes on directing duties on the production which marks the Chichester debuts of four of the lead actors: Gina Beck (Matilda, Show Boat) as Nellie Forbush, Julian Ovenden (Merrily We Roll Along, Grand Hotel) as Emile de Becque, Joanna Ampil (Avenue Q, Miss Saigon) as Bloody Mary and Rob Houchen (Les Misérables, The Light in the Piazza) as Joe Cable. They are joined by one of the stars of the Evans- directed Chichester production of Quiz, Keir Charles (Company, Come From Away) as Luther Billis
The cast also includes Iroy Abesamis, Carl Au, Rosanna Bates, David Birrell, Taylor Bradshaw, Bobbie Chambers, Danny Collins, Shailan Gohil, Adrian Grove, Zack Guest, Matthew Maddison, Sera Maehara, Melissa Nettleford, Kate Playdon, Pierce Rogan and Clancy Ryan.
Set and costume design is by Peter McKintosh, with choreography and movement direction by Ann Yee, musical direction by Cat Beveridge, with musical supervision by Nigel Lilley, orchestrations by David Cullen, lighting design by Howard Harrison, sound design by Paul Groothuis, additional arrangements by Theo Jamieson and casting by Charlotte Sutton.
Based on James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book Tales of the South Pacific, South Pacific boasts music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein, and a book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan.
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1949 with a production that garnered ten Tony Awards including wins in all four acting categories – a first for any musical – and also took home the Pulitzer Prize for Best Drama. The 2008 Broadway revival won seven Tonys including the award for Best Revival of a Musical.
Featuring some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most memorable songs including ‘Some Enchanted Evening’, ‘Happy Talk’, ‘There’s Nothing Like A Dame’ and ‘Younger Than Springtime’, the musical debuted in the West End with Broadway’s original leading lady Mary Martin starring as Nellie Forbush in 1951.
Tickets for CFT’s South Pacific will go on sale for performances in a reduced capacity auditorium (approximately 900 rather than the usual 1,300) to ease congestion in the foyers and public spaces. The venue will move to full capacity as soon as Government guidelines allow, with one specially designed Covid-secure performance every week for theatregoers who prefer to remain socially distanced.
There will be a Dementia-Friendly performance of South Pacific on 1 September at 2.30pm for individuals living with dementia and their friends, families and carers. The musical will also be streamed online with details to be announced at a later date.
CFT’s 2021 plans also include a weekend of open-air concerts and family events in Oaklands Park in early June and the on-demand streaming of the film of director Tinuke Craig’s innovative production of Sarah Kane’s Crave in May. The production which became the venue’s first simultaneous live-stream last year will stream worldwide on 18 May and on demand from 19-29 May. The new edit of the live-stream features remastered sound and new footage from filmmaker Ravi Deepres.
Angela Thomas
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