WESTMINSTER — Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” will be performed from May 10 to June 1 at Westminster Community Playhouse, 7272 Maple St. in Westminster.
Set in an island paradise during World War II, two parallel love stories are threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war. Nellie (Emily Marie Border), a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with a mature French planter, Emile (Jesse Seann Atkinson).
Nellie learns that the mother of his children, Ngana (Dana De Honor) and Jerome (Ethan Cantus), was an island native and, unable to turn her back on the prejudices with which she was raised, refuses Emile’s proposal of marriage.
Meanwhile, the strapping Lt. Joe Cable (Derek Mitchell) denies himself the fulfillment of a future with an innocent Tonkinese girl with whom he’s fallen in love — Liat (Rayzeen Skiles), daughter of Bloody Mary (Randi Tahara) — out of the same fears that haunt Nellie.
When Emile is recruited to accompany Joe on a dangerous mission, Nellie realizes that life is too short not to seize her own chance for happiness, thus confronting and conquering her prejudices.
The cast also includes Jessica Arcuri, Michael Corcoran, Sal Mendoza, Afton, Robyn Couch, Sarina Mendoza, Eric Schiffer, Lorelei Brennan, Cathy Dunn, Lauren Mitchell, David Smith, Karen Elder, Bradley Miller, Ariana Catanzarite, Robin L. Harrison and Lee Rincon.
The show is known for such songs as “Bloody Mary,” “Dites-moi,” “A Cockeyed Optimist,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame,” “Bali Ha’i,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “A Wonderful Guy,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “Carefully Taught,” and “Happy Talk.”
Directed by Patricia Miller with musical direction by Bill Wolfe and choreography by Bradley Miller. Music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan, adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “Tales of the South Pacific” by James Michener.
Performance dates: May 10 to 12, May 17 to 19, May 24 to 26, May 31, and June 1. Showtimes: Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m.
General admission: $25. Seniors: $23. Children under 15 and students with ID: $13.
For more information, call (714) 893-8626 or visit http://wcpstage.com.