Highland Farm, now a B&B, was the Bucks County home of musical lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. His work, particularly with composer Richard Rodgers, daringly and historically reinvented the Broadway musical. Their musical South Pacific, for example, pointedly denounced racism, a bold move for 1949. Grace Anne Alfiero, in the Doylestown Patch, reminds locals of the legacy of understanding Hammerstein left.

Hammerstein wrote prolifically while residing in Bucks County, site of his final two decades in the entertainment industry. His 20 years here, the final era of his career, produced some of his most memorable work with Rodgers.

In the late 1940s, Hammerstein labored at Highland Farm, adapting Tales of the South Pacific for the stage. James Michener (another Bucks County resident of note) had written the collection of short stories as a chronicle of World War II life in the Solomon Islands.

Rogers and Hammerstein unified the threads into a plot-driven narrative that centered on two love stories deeply tainted by bigotry — one tragically so.

It was a daring plot point for the late 1940s (especially for musical theater), as the U.S. continued to grapple with postwar segregation issues.

The show won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1950. Despite objections from audiences in the southern U.S. states, Rodgers and Hammerstein remained unapologetic about its message.

In 1958, it was adapted for a film that was nominated for three Academy Awards.

The piece’s resonance continues to today, as numerous revivals of South Pacific have touched audiences deeply since its long-ago opening.

More on Highland Farm and its importance to South Pacific is at the Doylestown Patch.