Blackman and Willetts to Star in UK South Pacific Tour

Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific, the winner of nine Tony awards, including Best Musical, and the Pulitzer Prize, is being revived in a brand new production for an extensive UK tour, starring West End musical theatre stalwart Dave Willetts (Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and Helena Blackman, runner-up in BBC One's "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?." The tour will commence at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool before playing a further 32 towns and cities.

"Blackman plays Nellie Forbush, a naïve Navy nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, who falls in love with middle-aged French plantation owner, Emile de Becque (Dave Willetts), during her wartime posting to a Pacific island. However, she soon discovers secrets in his past that she finds difficult to come to terms with. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Joe Cable is caught in a similar dilemma as he grows increasingly fond of Liat, daughter of the Asian peddler Bloody Mary. Only time will tell how these two enchantingly heartfelt love stories unfold," state press materials.

With a score as breathtaking as its tropical setting, this sumptuous production features a host of classic songs including 'Some Enchanted Evening,' 'Younger Than Springtime,' 'There is Nothing Like a Dame,' 'Bali Ha'i' and 'I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.'" Dave Willetts has previously headlined Seven Brides for Seven Brothers for UK Productions both on tour and at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the West End as well as their recent UK tour of 42nd Street. Helena Blackman recently played Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz at the Leicester Haymarket Theatre.

Opening at the Grand Theatre in Blackpool at the end of August, the South Pacific tour then continues to Hull, Stoke, Manchester, Edinburgh, Oxford, Wimbledon, Swansea, Birmingham, Sunderland, Nottingham and Londonderry in 2007 followed by Woking, Sheffield, Milton Keynes, Belfast, Dartford, York, Glasgow, Liverpool, Wolverhampton, Southampton, Cambridge, Bristol, Brighton, Torquay, Darlington, Rhyl, Bradford, Norwich, Derby, Malvern and Southend in 2008.

Produced by Peter Frosdick and Martin Dodd for UK Productions, South Pacific is directed by Julian Woolford, with choreography by Chris Hocking and Musical Supervision by Gareth Williams. Set design is by Charles Camm, with costumes by Elizabeth Dennis, lighting design by David Howe and sound design by Ross Portway and Jon Higson.

Photo - Helena Blackman