See 'South Pacific' Before It's Gone in Southampton

This weekend is the last chance to see Rogers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific at the Southampton Cultural Center Levitas Center for the Arts’ Center Stage Theatre.

Directed by Michael Disher with musical direction by Amanda Borsack Jones, and set in the South Pacific during World War II, the classic musical tells two parallel love stories, each threatened by prejudice spawned from the war. Nellie, a spunky American nurse, falls in love with a French plantation owner only to deny her love after the discovery that the mother of his children was an island native. Meanwhile, Lt. Joe Cable struggles with the same prejudices when he finds himself falling in love with a native Tonkinese girl.

The musical is famous for its memorable songs such as “Bali Ha’i,” “There is Nothing Like a Dame,” “Happy Talk,” “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy,” and “Some Enchanted Evening,” among many others.

This local performance is taken from David Ives’ adaptation of the musical, foreshortening the admittedly lengthy show to 1.5 hours (including intermission) and focusing on the key plot points. Disher is referring to it as “South Pacific Lean.”

“Rogers and Hammerstein’s musicals are notoriously long” Disher admits, noting that audiences in the past weeks have been hugely receptive of the 1–2 hours cut from the original script.

The cast includes Deniel Becker, Jose Coropuna, Julie Crowley, Shannon Dupuis, Jonathan Fogarty, Richard Gardini, Joey Giovingo, David Hoffman, Aaron Kaufman, Brianna Kinnier, Darren Ottati, Dakota Quackenbush, Douglas Sabo, Jack Seabury, Kimet Speed, Christina Stankewicz, Josephine Wallace, Kristin Whiting, Scout Whiting and Edna Winston.

And so far, the feedback Disher and the cast have been receiving has been “beyond expectations,” the director says, adding that he highly recommends reservations to anyone who is interested in seeing the show before it closes.

This weekend’s performances begin Thursday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m., followed by 8 p.m. shows Friday and Saturday, and finishing on Sunday with a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m.

General admission tickets are $25 and student tickets (under 21 with ID) are $12. Tickets can be purchased online at scc-arts.org or by calling 631-287-4377.

Dinner/theater packages are available Thursday–Saturday. A brunch/theater package is available on Sunday.

The Southampton Cultural Center is located at 25 Pond Lane in Southampton. For more info, visit scc-arts.org/center-stage-theatre.