Editing South Pacific (musical) (section)

=== Casting and out-of-town previews ===
[[File:Ezio Pinza SP.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Publicity portrait of a man in his mid-fifties with curly hair (Pinza)|Ezio Pinza]]
In May 1948, Rodgers received a telephone call from [[Edwin Lester]] of the [[Los Angeles Civic Light Opera]].  Lester had signed former [[Metropolitan Opera]] star [[Ezio Pinza]] for $25,000 to star in a new show, ''Mr. Ambassador''.  The show had not been written, and it never would be.<ref>Maslon, p. 111</ref> Lester hoped that Rodgers would take over Pinza's contract.  Pinza had become bored as the Met's leading lyric [[Bass (voice type)|bass]], and having played the great opera houses, sought other worlds to conquer.  Rodgers immediately saw Pinza as perfect for the role of Emile.<ref>Nolan, p. 178</ref> Lester carefully broached the subject to Pinza and his wife/business manager and provided them with a copy of ''Tales of the South Pacific''.  When Pinza read the book, he told Lester, "Sell me right away!"<ref name = "M112">Maslon, p. 112</ref> Pinza's contract for ''South Pacific'' included a clause limiting his singing to 15 minutes per performance.<ref name = "M112" /> With Pinza's signing, Rodgers and Hammerstein decided to make his the lead male role, subordinating the story of the pair of young lovers.  It was unusual on Broadway for the romantic lead to be an older male.<ref name = "F262">Fordin, p. 262</ref>

[[File:Mary Martin 1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Portrait of a woman in her mid-thirties, with long curly hair and wearing an old-fashioned blouse with string tie|[[Mary Martin]]]]
For the role of Nellie, Rodgers sought [[Mary Martin]], who had nearly been cast to originate the role of Laurey in ''Oklahoma!''<ref name = "F262" /> Martin was playing the title role in the touring company of ''[[Annie Get Your Gun (musical)|Annie Get Your Gun]]''.  After Hammerstein and Rodgers saw her play in Los Angeles in mid-1948, they asked her to consider the part.  Martin was reluctant to sing opposite Pinza's powerful voice; Rodgers assured her he would see to it the two never sang at the same time,<ref>Davis, p. 123</ref> a promise he mostly kept.<ref name = "H180">Hyland, p. 180</ref> Rodgers and Martin lived near each other in Connecticut, and after her tour Rodgers invited Martin and her husband, Richard Halliday, to his home to hear the three songs for the musical that he had completed, none of them for Nellie.<ref>Davis, p. 125</ref> "[[Some Enchanted Evening]]" especially struck Martin, and although disappointed the song was not for her, she agreed to do the part.<ref name = "H180" /> Although Nellie and Emile were already fully developed characters in Michener's stories, during the creation of ''South Pacific'', Rodgers, Hammerstein and Logan began to adapt the roles specifically to the talents of Martin and Pinza and to tailor the music for their voices.<ref>[http://www.rnh.com/show/97/South-Pacific#shows-history "''South Pacific'': History], Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, accessed August 29, 2012</ref>

Martin influenced several of her songs.  While showering one day during rehearsals, she came up with the idea for a scene in which she would shampoo her hair onstage.  This gave rise to "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair".<ref>Hammerstein, p. 199</ref> Built around a primitive shower that Logan remembered from his time in the military, the song became one of the most talked-about in ''South Pacific''.<ref>Maslon, p. 93</ref> To introduce another of Martin's numbers to her, Rodgers called her over to his apartment, where he and Hammerstein played "[[I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy]]" for her.  When Martin essayed it for herself, she sang the final 26 words, as intended, with a single breath, and fell off her piano bench.  Rodgers gazed down at her, "That's exactly what I want.  Never do it differently.  We must feel you couldn't squeeze out another sound."<ref>Nolan, p. 185</ref>

The producers held extensive auditions to fill the other roles.<ref name = "F267">Fordin, p. 267</ref> [[Myron McCormick]] was cast as Billis; according to Logan, no one else was seriously considered. The two roles which gave the most trouble were those of Cable and Bloody Mary.<ref name = "L283" /> They tried to get Harold Keel for the role of Cable (he had played Curly in the West End production of ''Oklahoma!'') only to find that he had signed a contract with MGM under the name [[Howard Keel]].<ref name = "N182">Nolan, p. 182</ref> [[William Tabbert]] was eventually cast as Cable, though Logan instructed him to lose {{convert|20|lb}}.  African-American singer [[Juanita Hall]] was cast as Bloody Mary; Logan recalled that at her audition, she took a squatting pose which proclaimed, "I am Bloody Mary and don't you dare cast anyone else!"<ref name = "L283">Logan, p. 283</ref> [[Betta St. John]], who under the name Betty Striegler had replaced [[Bambi Linn]] as Louise in ''Carousel'', took the role of Liat.<ref name = "N182" /> Logan directed (he and Hayward co-produced with Rodgers and Hammerstein), Mielziner did the stage design, [[Trude Rittmann]] and [[Robert Russell Bennett]] prepared the orchestration, and [[Elizabeth Montgomery (designer)|Elizabeth Montgomery]] of [[Motley Theatre Design Group]] designed the costumes.<ref name = "F267" /> [[Salvatore Dell'Isola]] served as music director.<ref>Maslon, p. 124</ref>