[what_the_heck013]

Have you ever noticed how The Sound of Music and South Pacific are almost exactly the same? In both shows...
-Mezzo female lead
-bass male lead
-children in cast
-children from another marriage
-Female lead falls in love with male, but leaves him before things get too close for whatever reason.
-Female matriarch character
-foreign country
-music contains "pastiche"... kind of (Edelweiss is an Austrian type song, nun songs, men's songs in SP are like sailor chanteys)

Any more you can think of. There are also similarities between both shows and King and I. Oklahoma and Carousel share some things in common.

[Salome]

alot of R&H shows are like that

to get an idea look at the fact that all their big shows have matriarch/earth mother characters.

Aunt Eller/Cousin Nettie/Lady Thaing/Bloody Mary/Madame Ling/Mother Abbess.

[klutzyk8ie]

I saw this kid's show a few years ago that combined 6 R&H shows: Sound of Music, King and I, South Pacific, Oklahoma, and two others... Carosel was one I think, but that doesn't sound right, it might have been just 4... Anyhoo, they organized the show by breaking it up by stock characters: Romantic Leads, "Cute Couples", Strong Mother-type, Villains (there were only 3) and a few children/group numbers.

[christinadaae]

This is what "the musical of musicals: the musical" is based off of.
If you don't know it, buy it.

[Yip1982]

It's good of you to point this out.

You're right that SOM has shades of echoes of K&I (and some echoes too in SP). You're right in pointing out that the Nellie-Emile love affair is similar to the Maria-Captain love affair, except that Nellie's prejudices overcome her and she flees Emile. Also, I can see how the protagonists take a cryptic stance against totalitarian actions.

[rcs]

Also, SP, K&I, and SOM have secondary romances (younger characters) that end tragically (bit of a stretch for SOM, but still fits the pattern).

[joseph taylor]

There are certainly similarities with SOUTH PACIFIC & SOUND OF MUSIC
certainly in that Hammerstein had a certain affinity for widowers, having lost his own mother quite young and both Captain von Trapp & Emile de Beque are both widowers left with children to look after.

[Salome]

also the king of siam recently lost his head wife (lady thiang is the new head wife if you look at the script).

[joseph taylor]

Yes that is a good point as well, he has lost his wife in THE KING & I and both Laurey Williams in OKLAHOMA! and Julie Jordon in CAROUSEL have no parents living, Laurey has Aunt Eller and Julie her cousin Nettie Fowler, and both Joe's Grandmother and Mother die in ALLEGRO which came very much from Hammerstein's own experiences.

[rcs]

[Yip1982]

You're right to say that You'll Never Walk Alone shares the same inspirational overtones as Something Wonderful and Climb Every Mountain. However, I've thought that Bali Ha'i doesn't share in any of these inspirational overtones. I do not want to ruffle anybody's feathers, but I've thought that Bali Ha'ihas a different nature compared to the inspirational songs you've mentioend. I've thought it to be more seductive and less inspirational, even though it alludes to the self-realisation of a person.

[rcs]