Interview With International Opera Star David Pittsinger About “South Pacific” at the Fox Theatre

K: When you are doing the opera overseas, are you part of a certain company or do you audition for jobs individually?

D: Unless you have what they call a thest contract, which are only offered in a couple of opera houses, you are completely on your own. So, it enables you to make friendships. I was single at the time, and got to travel all over Europe and sing in the best opera houses there. You know what they say, “you’re never a profit in your own land, until you prove yourself elsewhere.” And then you know, I came back to the United States, and started singing a lot with the San Francisco Opera, and eventually the Metropolitan Opera. I sung a lot with both of those companies, as well as the New York City Opera.

So yeah, you’re never really affiliated with a company. I’ve been asked back at every place I’ve ever sung, including one of the first places that I really started my career, which was Brussels at the Royal Theater. I sung many productions there, many performances, and since then I have really been able to expand my career in Europe as well as the US. It’s really nice because my children – I have twins who are 11 – are at an age now where I need to be in this country more in order to sort of keep up with them. Singing in this country, and certainly on Broadway has allowed me to do that.

K: Speaking of Broadway, the revival of South Pacific was in early 2008, right?

D: Yes. That was on Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater. And I had to be released from a Metropolitan Opera contract in order to do this. But the timing was right, and the Met was willing. They understood my need to explore this opportunity, in a part that was written for one of my idols: an opera singer named Ezio Pinza. I wasn’t born by the time that he died, and finished singing, but I certainly am very familiar with his work, and felt that this was something right up my alley. I was the right age to do it, and again it was right under the same offices of Lincoln Center, and that it was right next to the Met. It enabled me to be the first artist in history ever to perform a leading role in Broadway and a leading role in Opera in the same day. They did a really wonderful story in the New York Times.

Next: Read Part 3

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Page: 1 2 3 4 5

Kevin Brackett

Kevin Brackett is a professional film and theatre critic. He is also a member of the St. Louis Film Critics Association (SLFCA). Since founding Review St. Louis in 2008, he remains editor and operator of the online publication. Kevin is also a co-host of the Reel Spoilers podcast, and former National Vice President of the Technology Student Association (TSA), comprised of over 200,000 members worldwide. E-mail: kevin [at] reviewstl.com.

Next VIDEO: Watch President Barack Obama on Jon Stewart's Daily Show »

Previous « List of Possible Batman Villains for Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises"

View Comments

vf says:

November 13, 2010 at 12:53 am

This reads as if David Pittsinger had transitioned from starring in this role on Broadway to touring in the part, but Paulo Szot originated the role in the revival, won a Tony and a bunch of other awards for the role, starred in the wonderful televised version that just aired on PBS and sang on the original cast CD (great CD). I've read that David Pittsinger was one of a couple of replacements for Szot when he was off and IBDb.com describes him that way: http://ibdb.com/production.php?id=463981
http://ibdb.com/person.php?id=481768 Apparently Szot mainly played the role on Broadway from its opening in April 2008 until it closed in August 2010 but when he took time off for other commitments, Pittsinger replaced him. And per the tour site, Rod Gilfrey toured in it first. Maybe this is a PR thing, I'm sure David Pittsinger is great in the role, but people seeing the tour will not be seeing the performer known for playing the role on Broadway.

And gee, a lot of typos in this article.