APAC to Present ‘South Pacific’

Aloha Theater file courtesy photo.

The Aloha Performing Arts Company’s production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway musical “South Pacific” will kick off on Friday, Feb. 12 at the Aloha Theatre in Kainaliu.

Local kumu hula Auntie Lani Lee, a professional dancer since the age of four and the current kumu of “Na Kupuna O Kona Alii” halau, will play the casted role of Bloody Mary. Lee is taking her first dabble into theatre as the show runs through Sunday, March 13.

“South Pacific” features music composed by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan.

The story follows James A. Micherner’s Pulitzer Prize winning 1947 book “Tales of the South Pacific,” and the play was aimed to send a strong message on racism.

Directed by Jerry Tracy and assisted by Sarah Crawford, cast members of the 2016 production include Laura Alms as Ensign Nellie Forbush, Miguel Montez as Emile de Becque, Taieme and Sirvaughn Kanuha as de Becque’s children Ngana and Jerome, Gerald Lucena as Henri, Tiffany Kutsunai as Liat, Randall Shirley as Lutenant Joe Cable, Kelly Drake as Luther Billis, Tyler Savarese as Stewpot, Martin Dwyer as the Professor, Tim Bruno as Lt. Buzz Adams, Miles Lugo as Radio operator Bob McCaffrey, David Fero as Yeoman Herbert Quale, Pete Hoffmann as the Shore Patrolman, Eugene Gall as Commander Harbison, and Joel Michaelson as Captain Brackett.

In the production, a company of Navy nurses is portrayed by Annie Herring, Melissa Geiger, Cheryl Adelman, Kira Kamamalu, Kaitlin Moore, Megan Hodge, Rachel Edwards, Chamika Fujioka, and Val Cook.

Other cast members who play soldiers, sailors, native islanders, French students, nuns, and dinner guests, include Oliver Kriebl-Bruno, Eddie Ku, Victor Lugo, Mark Morphew, Ariana Rose, Minami Asbjornson, Zea Levine, Manu Levine, Kimberlee Jankanish, Deja Logan, Olivia Loney, Cheyla Page, Trina Yerlick, Laura Ruth, Marylei Drake, and Jackie Kalani.

The production will feature a live professional orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Bernaldo Evangelista.

Friday and Saturday shows will begin at 7:30 p.m., while Sunday matinees will start at 2:30 p.m.

Admission to all performances is $27 for adults, $22 for senior citizens and young adults, and $10 for children under 18.

Tickets can be purchases at the APAC website, by calling 322-9924 on Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or at the theatre box office one hour before the show.