Seacoast Rep's SOUTH PACIFIC Opens Tonight

The Seacoast Repertory Theatre will honor Portsmouth's naval tradition with its most ambitious musical production of the season, as it stages the Rodgers and Hammerstein wartime classic "South Pacific" with a newly reconfigured interior.

The musical, which opens tonight, July 10, strikes contemporary themes with its story of romance and racism as battle looms on a South Pacific island during World War II.

"There is this lovely lush, beautiful, soaring score. There is a lot of romance, illusion and dreams. But it comes up against the harsh reality of war and intolerance which I think is very relevant now, even through the play is 60 years old," said director Danielle Howard.

The 22-member cast stars professional opera singer Paul Soper as Emile, an expatriate Frenchman with children born to an island native mother. University of New Hampshire senior Allie Wing stars as Nellie, an American nurse who falls in love with Emile but balks at his children's mixed-race heritage. Linette Roungchun, from Lake Forest, California , makes her East Coast debut as "Bloody Mary," the island's sole, saucy, civilian woman.

"You need strong singers who are really strong actors," Howard said of the casting. "So much of it comes from the emotional life. The music is beautiful, but it's really (just) kind of pretty if there's not that life behind it. You hope for that spark on stage, which Paul and Allie have."

The original 1949 Broadway production of South Pacific won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Score, with songs including "Some Enchanted Evening," "I'm Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair," and "Happy Talk."

Audiences familiar with the Seacoast Rep may be surprised at the reconfiguration of the interior, meant to enhance the setting as a both a remote island and a world that includes the audience. "It really kind of creates this wonderful island of a stage, which is very much a central metaphor for the entire play," Howard said. "We were hoping to make the entire space the world of the play, to really bring the audience into the piece."

The production serves as a reminder of the maritime heritage of Portsmouth. "The Navy and that naval world is just a breath away from us here in the theater," Howard said. "There is obviously that whole military world that is threaded throughout the play. That's been a challenge to be true and authentic to that."

The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery has built vessels since 1814 and constructed many of the submarines that patrolled the Pacific during World War II. The Seacoast Rep is working to develop joint activities for the show, and military veterans will be offered a discount on tickets.

"South Pacific" is based on a collection of stories by novelist James Michener, who was stationed on the island of Espiritu Santo as a naval officer during World War II.

The musical debuted on Broadway when the war was fresh in the minds of audiences and the cast included veterans. Its critically praised Broadway revival in 2008 was a testament to the enduring appeal of the music and the timeless relevance of its themes.

"You have a country and a culture that embraces idealism and tolerance, and fights a war against intolerance, whether it be here now or in World War II, but at the same time we are looking inward and saying we have to assess our own home," Howard said.

"South Pacific" runs July 10 through August 2. Show times are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are available through the Seacoast Rep Box Office, or online at www.seacoastrep.org. For military and student discounts, call the box office at 603.433.4472. "South Pacific" is proudly sponsored by DF Richard. The 2015 Seacoast Repertory Theatre's Season is sponsored in part by Bondgarden Farms, New Hampshire Public Television, and Portsmouth Public Media.

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