Enchanted evening 'South Pacific' comes to Moses Lake High School stage

MOSES LAKE — A classic tale of love and prejudice in World War II comes to the stage at Moses Lake High School with the production of “South Pacific,” scheduled for Nov. 10 through 12. Performances are at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 and 11, and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the theater, 803 East Sharon Ave.

The play premiered on Broadway in 1949 and was an instant hit, winning a Tony for best drama and running for almost five years. “It’s a – classic. I love it,” said director Sabrina Haesche, but she had to explain it to her perspective cast members – most of them had never heard of it.

“South Pacific” is based on the book of short stories by James Michener, published in 1947 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize. The musical follows the tale of Nellie Forbush (Britni Copley in the MLHS production), a Navy nurse stationed in the South Pacific during World War II, and Emile de Becque, a plantation owner and French expatriate.

Emile is a widower with two children – and that turns out to be problem for Nellie, who is uncertain how she will accept the kids, whose mother was Polynesian. But of course Nellie is part of a much larger contingent of U.S. military personnel, and the play follows the fortunes of a mashup of scheming Seabees (Navy Construction Battalion sailors), flirting nurses and Polynesians trying to turn a profit. There’s a second, sadder love story, the tale of Lieutenant Cable (Sam Roeber) and Liat (Izzy Sica).

The play is one of most legendary works of the duo of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, with the book by Hammerstein and director Joshua Logan, The play produced a number of classic songs, from “I’m Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair,” to “Bali-Hai,” to “Some Enchanted Evening” to “There’s Nothing Like A Dame.” The play was groundbreaking in its frank discussion of race relations, featuring the song “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught.”

Her prospective cast members looked up the 1958 movie, Haesche said, and got excited about the play and the production. At the read-through the kids were struck by the play's humor; "this is really great," Haesche quoted kids as saying. “They got it (the music) stuck in their heads,” she said. “They have a lot of fun being nurses and sailors.”

The play also was attractive for its large cast, 50 to 60 people between the actors, technical crew and orchestra, she said. But it has been a challenge for the director, since it’s her first musical. “So many aspects to a musical,” she said, from the music to the dancing – and “South Pacific” has a lot of dance numbers.

Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 for students with an ASB card. They can be purchased at the door or at the MLHS office before 3 p.m.