David Pittsinger to Fill In as Emile de Becque in South Pacific

Bass-baritone David Pittsinger will make his Broadway debut on December 2 as Emile de Becque in Lincoln Center Theater’s hit revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific, in the first of two appearances filling in for Tony winner Paulo Szot. Pittsinger is scheduled to appear December 2 through January 25 and make a return appearance March 12 through April 12, when Szot will honor previously scheduled opera commitments for The Merry Widow for Opera Marseille and Carmen for Opera Toulouse, respectively.

Pittsinger made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Truelove in The Rake’s Progress, conducted by James Levine. He went on to appear in the MET productions of Don Carlo, La Boheme, Die Zauberflote and Giulio Cesare. Later this season he will also appear in the New York City Opera’s concert performance of Antony and Cleopatra at Carnegie Hall. His other operatic credits include the role of Zoroastro in Handel’s Orlando at both Glimmerglass Opera and New York City Opera and numerous appearances with leading opera companies throughout the United States, South America and Europe. His numerous orchestral credits include concert appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and the Vienna Philharmonic. A Connecticut native, he can be heard on the Grammy Award-winning Virgin Classics record of Carlysle Floyd’s Susannah and in La Calisto by Cavalli on the Harmonia Mundi label.

Directed by Barlett Sher, South Pacific opened on April 3, 2008, and also stars Kelli O’Hara as Ensign Nellie Forbush. The production won seven Tony Awards this year, including Best Musical Revival, Best Director for Sher and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical for Szot.