South Pacific was the first musical to win both the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Its original Broadway production won the Tony for Best Musical at the 1950 ceremony, and the Pulitzer followed that same year.
The musical was created by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, with a book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan. It was adapted from James A. Michener’s 1947 novel Tales of the South Pacific and premiered on Broadway in 1949. Its story combined romance with serious themes of racism, war, and cultural prejudice in the Pacific during World War II.
South Pacific won ten Tonys, including awards for its score, book, direction, and four acting performances. On May 1, 1950, it received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, becoming only the second musical to win that prize after Of Thee I Sing.
The “first” distinction can be confusing because Of Thee I Sing won the Pulitzer in 1932, before the Tony Awards existed. South Pacific was therefore the first musical able to win both honors.