Act II South Pacific (musical)

the thanksgiving follies , original production.

it thanksgiving day. gis , nurses dance in holiday revue titled thanksgiving follies . in past week, epidemic of malaria has hit island of bali ha i. having visited bali ha liat, cable ill, escapes hospital liat. liat , cable spend more time together, bloody mary delighted. encourages them continue carefree life on island ( happy talk ) , urges them marry. cable, aware of family s prejudices, says cannot marry tonkinese girl. bloody mary furiously drags distraught daughter away, telling cable liat must marry older french plantation owner instead. cable laments loss. ( younger springtime (reprise)).

for final number of thanksgiving follies, nellie performs comedy burlesque dressed sailor singing praises of sweetheart ( honey bun ). billis plays honey bun, dressed in blond wig, grass skirt , coconut-shell bra. after show, emile asks nellie reconsider. insists cannot feel same way him since knows children s polynesian mother. frustrated , uncomprehending, emile asks cable why , nellie have such prejudices. cable, filled self-loathing, replies s not re born , yet ingrained part of upbringing ( ve got taught ). vows if gets out of war alive, won t go home united states; wants on these islands. emile imagines might have been ( mine ). dejected , feeling has nothing lose, agrees join cable on dangerous mission.

the final tableau original production

the mission begins plenty of air support. offstage, billis stows away on plane, falls out when plane hit anti-aircraft fire, , ends in ocean waiting rescued; massive rescue operation inadvertently becomes diversion allows emile , cable land on other side of island undetected. 2 send reports on japanese ships movements in slot , strategic strait; american aircraft intercept , destroy japanese ships. when japanese zeros strafe americans position, emile narrowly escapes, cable killed.

nellie learns of cable s death , emile missing. realizes foolish reject emile because of race of children s mother. bloody mary , liat come nellie asking cable is; mary explains liat refuses marry him. nellie comforts liat. cable , emile s espionage work has made possible major offensive, operation alligator, begin. idle fighting men, including billis, go off battle.

nellie spends time jerome , ngana , comes love them. while children teaching sing dites-moi, emile s voice joins them. emile has returned discover nellie has overcome prejudices , has fallen in love children. emile, nellie , children rejoice ( dites-moi (reprise)).