Pacific 1860 is a musical written by Noël Coward. The story is set in a fictional Pacific British colony during the reign of Queen Victoria. It involves a romantic and sentimental story about a visiting prima donna and her conflict between love and career. There is also the theme of snobbishness from the island's establishment.
The original London production opened in 1946, starring Mary Martin, opposite Graham Payn and played for four months. It was the first show to play at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane after World War II. A cast recording, originally on 78 rpm discs was transferred to CD and has been called pleasant but old fashioned.[1] The piece was not played in the U.S. until 2003, when it was given a concert staging Off-Broadway by York Theatre Company, directed by Simon Jones, who also played the Governor/narrator of the piece.[2]