''Pacific 1860'' is a musical written by Noël Coward. The story is set in a fictional Pacific British Colony during the reign of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

. It involves a romantic and sentimental story about a visiting

Prima Donna In opera or commedia dell'arte, a prima donna (; Italian for "first lady"; plural: ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the prime roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage per ...

and her conflict between love and career. There is also the theme of snobbishness from the island's establishment. The original London production opened in 1946, starring

Mary Martin Mary Virginia Martin (December 1, 1913 – November 3, 1990) was an American actress and singer. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein, she originated many leading roles on stage over her career, including Nellie Forbush in '' South Pacific'' (194 ...

, opposite

Graham Payn Graham Payn (25 April 1918 – 4 November 2005) was a South African-born English actor and singer, also known for being the life partner of the playwright Noël Coward. Beginning as a boy soprano, Payn later made a career as a singer and ac ...

and played for four months. It was the first show to play at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

after World War II. A cast recording, originally on 78 rpm discs was transferred to CD and has been called pleasant but old fashioned. The piece was not played in the U.S. until 2003, when it was given a concert staging Off-Broadway by

York Theatre Company York Theatre is an off-Broadway theatre company based in East Midtown Manhattan, New York City. In its 50th year, York Theatre is dedicated to the production of new musicals and concert productions of forgotten musicals from the past. Each se ...

, directed by Simon Jones, who also played the Governor/narrator of the piece.

History

The musical premiered at the

in London on 19 December 1946 and was the first post-war production by Coward. The show was not a success and ran for only four months, closing on 12 April 1947 The lead role of Elena Salvador was taken by

, and the other principal actors included Coward's lover

as Kerry Stirling,

Sylvia Cecil Sylvia Cecil (c. 1898 – c. 1983) was an English singer and actress. She began her career in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, with whom she performed, off and on, from 1918 until 1937. She also performed in ...

as Rosa Cariatanza, and Winifred Ingram as Trudi. Sets and costumes were designed by Coward's friend and regular designer,

Gladys Calthrop Gladys Edith Mabel Calthrop (''née'' Treeby; 29 March 1894 – 7 March 1980) was an artist and leading British stage designer. She is best known as the set and costume designer for many of Noël Coward's plays and musicals. Life and career Calthr ...

. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' said of the piece that the island on which it was set was equable in temperature, adding "This mild romance with its abundance of easy theatrical sentiment so gracefully expressed has precisely the same climate, and there are moments, as one pretty song succeeds another, when we rather hanker after a tropical storm." Of the cast, the paper said, "Miss Mary Martin sings the heroine with much assurance and charm, and Mr Graham Payn is fully equal to the demands made on her 'opposite number'." ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' thought the first act fell "entirely flat" and judged the whole show old-fashioned, but praised the cast and the production. ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' was still less favourable: "This operetta is an orgy of good taste, and people who are nervous of that quality may be comforted by knowing that there is plenty of honest dullness in the very conventional plot."Brown, Ivor, "At the Theatre", ''The Observer'', 22 December 1946, p. 2

Plot summary

;Act 1 A large family of British plantation owners on the Pacific island of Samolo, the Stirlings, are hosting a party. The father refuses to extend an invitation to a visitor to the island, the young opera singer Elena Salvador, but one of the sons, romantic-minded Kerry, finds this unreasonable, believing that she has been the target of malicious gossip. A carriage accident happens near the Stirlings' home, and Elena is the victim. She and Kerry become acquainted, and he invites her to the party, as they express affection for each other. ;Act 2 At the party, the six Stirling daughters and their boyfriends who work at Government House are poking fun at the Governor. The Stirlings withdraw their objections to Elena's presence when they learn that she is a friend of the Governor's wife. Elena and Kerry entertain the guests with a native song, but when she kisses Kerry, in front of the guests, they are scandalised. A week later, at Elena's house her chaperone warns Elena not to fall seriously in love. Sadly, financial considerations force Elena to leave Samolo to resume her career, and both Kerry and Elena are heartbroken. ;Act 3 Elena returns a year later to find that it is the wedding day of young Mr. Stirling; she is despondent. But it turns out that it is not Kerry who is getting married, but his practical brother, Rollo; Kerry is the best man. When Kerry finally sees Elena, they fall into each other's arms at once.

Songs

(In the order listed in ''The Lyrics of Noël Coward'', pp. 232–63): *Family Grace *If I were a Man *Dear Madame Salvador *Hy Horse Has Cast a Shoe *I Wish I Wasn't Quite Such a Big Girl *Samolan Song (Ka Tahua) *Bright was the Day *Invitation to the Waltz *His Excellency Regrets *The Party's Going with a Swing *Birthday Toast *Make Way for Their Excellencies *Fumfumbolo *One Two Three *This is a Night for Lovers *I Never Knew *This is a Changing World *Come Back to the Island *Gipsy Melody *This is the Night *Mother's Lament *Pretty Little Bridesmaids *I Saw No Shadow *Wedding Toast *Uncle Harry

Roles and cast

*Elena Salvador -

*Rosa Cariatanza -

*Trudi - Winefride Ingham *Mrs Stirling - Maidie Andrews *Solange - Maria Perilli *Louise - Ann Martin *Caroline - Irlin Hall *Henrietta -

Peggy Thompson Margaret "Peggy" Thompson, later Margaret Neilson, was the housekeeper at Coilsfield House or Montgomery Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. She married John Neilsen of Monyfee. The couple lived at Minnybae Farm near Kirkoswald. She was the 'charming ...

, (Mrs Peggy Fraser) *Agnes - Joy O'Neill *Sarah -

Daphne Peretz Daphne (; ; el, Δάφνη, , ), a minor figure in Greek mythology, is a naiad, a variety of female nymph associated with fountains, wells, springs, streams, brooks and other bodies of freshwater. There are several versions of the myth in whi ...

*Georgina - Ann Sullivan *Mrs Cawthorne - Rose Hignell *Penelope -

Daphne Anderson Daphne Anderson (née Scrutton; 27 April 1922 – 15 January 2013) was an English stage, film, and television actress, as well as a dancer and singer. She made her London theatre debut in 1938 at the Windmill Theatre. Anderson appeared in such f ...

*Mrs Pelham -

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*Lady Grayshott -

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*Miss Scobie - Moya Nugent *Miss Teresa Scobie - Betty Hare *Primrose Larch -

Jacqueline Jones Jacqueline Jones (born 17 June 1948) is an American social historian. She held the Walter Prescott Webb Chair in History and Ideas from 2008 to 2017 and is Mastin Gentry White Professor of Southern History at the University of Texas at Austin. ...

*Kerry Stirling -

*Rollo - Pat McGrath *Mr Stirling - Tudor Evans *Felix Kammer -

Carl Jaffe Carl Jaffe (21 March 1902 – 12 April 1974) was a German actor. Jaffe trained on the stage in his native Hamburg, Kassel and Wiesbaden before moving to Berlin, where his career began to develop. In 1933 Jaffe changed his stage name to Fra ...

*His Excellency Sir Lewis Grayshott - Cyril Butcher *Aden Grayshott - Denis Martin *D'Arcy Grayshott - John Warwick

Notes

References

*Coward, Noël. ''The Lyrics of Noël Coward'', Heinemann, London, 1965. *Lesley, Cole. ''The Life of Noël Coward''. Cape 1976. . *Tanvitch, Robert. ''The London Stage in the 20th Century'' Haus Publishing Ltd {{Authority control West End musicals 1946 musicals Musicals by Noël Coward British musicals Oceania in fiction