[Prince George's Sentinel] An Enchanted Evening with 'South Pacific'

[Prince George's Sentinel] An Enchanted Evening with 'South Pacific'

“I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific. The way it actually was. The endless ocean. The infinite specks of coral we called islands. Coconut palms nodding gracefully toward the ocean. Reefs upon which waves broke into spray, and inner lagoons, lovely beyond description.”

So begins James Michener’s “Tales of the South Pacific,” the book which was the inspirational source of  Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic musical “South Pacific.”

The challenge of this musical was to combine visual beauty with the horror of war while sprinkling in elements of romantic comedy.

The Riverside Center for the Performing Arts production, masterfully directed by and choreographed by Penny Ayn Maas and produced by Patrick A’Hearn, succeeds in weaving these delicate threads of the music together and is complemented with an outstanding cast and brilliant singing and musical numbers.

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[Culpeper Times] CURTAIN CALLS: Islands of delight dot 'South Pacific'

[Culpeper Times] CURTAIN CALLS: Islands of delight dot 'South Pacific'

One enchanted evening many years ago (seventy, to be exact) Messrs. Rodgers and Hammerstein opened their mint new musical, “South Pacific”, for its New Haven and Boston previews. The response was immediate and enthusiastic… Riverside Center’s just-opened production scores where it counts most in this tale of two non-traditional love affairs and war in the Pacific. Central to the conflict are one middle-aged Frenchman with the mysterious past, Emile de Becque, and his much younger love interest, the Arkansas-bred nurse, Ensign Nellie Forbush. Around them swirl issues of Japanese invasion, high jinks among the sailors, and a separate, doomed love affair with further racial implications.

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[Free Lance-Star] Riverside Center for the Performing Arts sets course for 'South Pacific'

[Free Lance-Star] Riverside Center for the Performing Arts sets course for 'South Pacific'

When “South Pacific” first débuted on Broadway, it was an immediate hit.

That was in 1949, pulling on the reflective heartstrings of audiences who had World War II fresh on their minds.

Flash forward to today: While WWII is long gone, many of the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical’s poignant messages still hit home. The show owns the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts stage through Sept. 15.

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[Press Release] Riverside Center for the Performing Arts Announces Cast and Creative Team for South Pacific

[Press Release] Riverside Center for the Performing Arts Announces Cast and Creative Team for South Pacific

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts is excited to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize-winning South Pacific with its new production in Fredericksburg, VA. The Rodgers and Hammerstein classic – which premiered in 1949 – did not have a revival until the 2008 Lincoln Center production (which, like its predecessor, won multiple Tony Awards®). Several of its songs, including “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There is Nothing Like a Dame,” “Happy Talk,” and “I’m In Love with a Wonderful Guy” have become popular standards.

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Review: ‘Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts
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Review: ‘Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein’ at Riverside Center for the Performing Arts

Riverside Center for the Performing Arts presents Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein, a gorgeous, glamorous revue that celebrates the works of two greats from the Golden Age of musical theatre. Conceived by Jeffrey B. Moss, Patrick A’Hearn directs a troupe of talented vocalists, with musical direction by Garrett Jones.

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