I grew up with bits and pieces of South Pacific before I ever really understood the whole musical. “Some Enchanted Evening” and “Happy Talk” were already familiar, and I still remember a South Pacific programme we had at home from Repertory Philippines' 1997 production. I wasn't sure at first whether I had actually seen it, but my sister confirmed that we watched that production as kids. Seeing the UST Conservatory of Music's South Pacific: The Comeback at the Proscenium Theater brought all of that familiarity back in a completely different way. Directed by Paolo O'Hara, with Daniel Bartolome leading the UST Symphony Orchestra, this production made a musical that first opened on Broadway in 1949 feel remarkably present without trying to make it behave like something written today. That was what I appreciated most about it. This is still a World War II story, populated by people carrying the manners, assumptions, prejudices, and expectations of their...

Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific is back in Metro Manila for eight performances at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati, from September 12 to 20, 2026. Presented by the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music in partnership with the College of Commerce and Business Administration, South Pacific: The Comeback stars Ciara Sotto as Nellie Forbush and Jose Vera Perez as Emile de Becque. Paolo O'Hara directs, with Daniel Bartolome leading the UST Symphony Orchestra. Update, September 14, 2026: I have since seen this production. Read my South Pacific review for the performances, the UST Symphony Orchestra, and the view from K26. The preview below records what I knew before seeing it. For me, the title comes with an old memory. I remember seeing a South Pacific programme at home when I was younger, but I don't remember actually watching the show. Repertory Philippines staged South Pacific in 1997, and that must have been the programme I ...