KU’s Paul Laird addresses the racial and gender politics of South Pacific

• Peter Coombs
• Katie Reid and Shane Donovan perform “My Girl Back Home”

It’s a stellar week for musicals around here. Not only do we have Patty LuPone and Mandy Patinkin performing selections from Evita, Follies and South Pacific (among many others) at the Kauffman Center starting on Tuesday, we’ve got South Pacific in its entirety at the Lied Center Wednesday, January 18. The classic Rodgers and Hammerstein production is preceded by a discussion from University of Kansas Professor of Musicology Paul Laird. Because we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this week, and part of Laird’s discussion deals with “the social and racial issues addressed in the musical,” we figured we’d ask the professor some questions about the politics and lasting legacy of South Pacific.