by Parker Davis
The classic story of South Pacific, after traversing the spectrum of art forms and earning success as a novel, a broadway musical, and a film, will debut this month in Asheville as an opera.
The book, Tales of the South Pacific, was published in 1947 and premiered as a musical on Broadway before being adapted for film in 1958. Emerging as an immediate hit upon it’s release, the musical eventually ran for 1,925 performances and is now revered as one of America’s most successful plays, winning ten Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The plot centers on an American nurse stationed on a South Pacific island during World War II who falls in love with a handsome French plantation owner. Conflict arrises when the nurse discovers the frenchman is a father to mixed-race children and begins to struggle with her prejudice. A secondary romance, between a U.S. lieutenant and a young Polynesian woman, provides the framework for more internal conflict as the lieutenant fears the social repercussions of marrying his Asian bride.
The issue of racial prejudice is candidly explored throughout the story and was written with the intention to challenge the beliefs of the American public. Upon its release across segregated, postwar America, the story incited racial controversy to which the authors were unapologetic. Asheville Lyric Opera hopes to highlight the social progress that has been achieved since the days of America’s virulent racism by capturing the parallels in the human spirit.
Dr. Jon Truitt, professor of opera at University of Evansville in Indiana, will be returning to direct the production. Also returning to the ALO stage will be favorites Mark Owen Davis, Simone Vigilante and Grant Knox. Debut performances include soprano Michelle Seipel, portraying the female lead, along with music director Dr. Leslie Downs.
Traditionally, musical theatre coincides with academic calendars and takes an interlude during the summer. However, Asheville Lyric Opera is following a developing trend amongst other performing arts organizations and now offers summer productions. This will be their third summer musical, following the success of Carousel in 2013 and Sound of Music in 2012.
The intimacy of the Diana Wortham theater should provide an ideal setting for the evocative production, and a chance to relive one of America’s greatest musicals with the added majesty of opera. After a half-century of success, South Pacific now marks a turning point in American culture, the evolution from bigotry to tolerance, and exemplifies the all-conquering power of love within the human spirit.
If You Go: South Pacific, Friday & Saturday, July 18 & 19 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, July 20 at 3 p.m. Diana Wortham Theatre, 2 South Pack Square, Asheville. Purchase tickets at www.dwtheatre.com/box-office or call (828) 257-4530.
For more information about the Asheville Lyric Opera, call (828) 236-0670, or visit www.ashevillelyric.org