playbill vip

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Lynbrook High School production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s masterpiece, SOUTH PACIFIC!

Based on James A. Michener’s award-winning book, Tales of the South Pacific, Rodgers and Hammerstein combined elements from several of Michener’s stories, most notably, “Fo Dolla”,  the story of the encounter between Cable and Liat, and "Our Heroine", the tale of romance between Nellie and Emile. Rodgers and Hammerstein believed that they could write a musical based on Michener's work that would be financially successful and, at the same time, would send a strong progressive message on racism. 

At the heart of this musical, is Lieutenant Cable's act two song, You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught, in which Cable realizes the sources of his own racism. While the show was written sixty-four years ago, and, at that time, focused on racial bigotry in general and institutional racism in the postwar United States, the themes of the musical are still relevant today. Unfortunately, every day throughout the world, there are still acts of violence against people due to their ethnicity, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. The only way to stop the violence is through education … by teaching tolerance, acceptance, and empathy. I am so proud of the cast who approached this material in an insightful, mature and sensitive manner.   

As theatre is a collective art, with many puzzle pieces that must come together to create a seamless production, I would like to thank my colleagues Mr. Pallotta, Mr. Wyner, Ms. Pasqua, Mr. Kunz, Mr. Wolber, Mrs. Kirby, and Mr. Davis.  You are an amazing and generous group of people. To the talented cast, musicians, and crew members, you never cease to amaze me!  

Also, I would like to thank our Board of Education, Superintendent, Dr. Melissa Burak, the central office administrators, the high school administration and faculty, and finally, you, our audience, for supporting educational theatre!   

Enjoy!

Kevin Harrington