75th Anniversary

On the 75th anniversary of its premiere, Dayton Opera celebrate Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical South Pacific with a new production in collaboration with Wright State University and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra! As poignant today as it was during its first Broadway run in 1949, the critically acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning musical was bolstered by box-office success, becoming the second-longest-running Broadway production at the time.

Now songbook standards, tunes like Bali Ha'i and I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair punctuate a tropical tale about the war-torn prejudice and romance that blossoms between U.S Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and French plantation owner Emile De Becque. When Nellie discovers Emile has two mixed-race children, she must decide if her judgment of Emile outweighs her deep love for him.