South Pacific (musical) of her portrayal of Nellie Forbush ... who is so shocked to find her early racial prejudices cropping up. Hers is a completely irresistible performance." When "South Pacific" opened in London in November 1951, the reviews were mixed. London's "Daily Express" praised the music but disliked other elements of that show, writing, "We got a 42nd Street "Madame Butterfly", the weakest of all the Hammerstein-Rodgers musicals. The "Daily Mail" suggested, "The play moved so slowly between its songs that it seemed more like "South Soporific"." "The Times" applauded the songs but indicated that "before the end the singing and the
South Pacific (musical) play together ("Dites-Moi"). Ensign Nellie Forbush, a naïve U.S. Navy nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, has fallen in love with Emile de Becque, a middle-aged French plantation owner, though she has known him only briefly. Even though everyone else is worried about the outcome of the war, Nellie tells Emile that she is sure everything will turn out all right ("A Cockeyed Optimist"). Emile also loves Nellie, and each wonders if the other reciprocates those feelings ("Twin Soliloquies"). Emile expresses his love for Nellie, recalling how they met at the officers' club dance and instantly were attracted to each other