North Bay Stage and Screen: Review – South Pacific in Santa Rosa
North Bay Stage and Screen
August 25, 2026
by Cari Lynn Pace
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s South Pacific, now running at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa through Sep. 20, debuted 75 years ago. Even though it harkens back to a simpler and more sanitized time, it still resonates today with romantic songs and a powerful message. Its strengths leads one to forgive the show’s dated use of terms such as when the rowdy sailors sing “There is Nothing Like a Dame.”
Set on an imaginary Polynesian island during WWII, the nurses and sailors have more fun than military duties would seem to require as they sing and dance away their days. Yet it’s not all fun and games. South Pacific endures as a cherished musical because it weaves two love stories ripped apart by cultural prejudices. Characters from opposite sides of the world have much to figure out in this world at societal war.