South Pacific - First Musical in New Barn Theatre
Contributed by Bob Pinkerton
South Pacific began its run as the first musical production in the new Lofte Community Theatre on July 21, 2006. The Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein musical was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1950. The play is based on two short stories by James A. Michener from his book Tales of the South Pacific, which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1948.

The musical is set during World War II. It is 1943, and the United States Navy has established several bases in the Solomon Islands in preparation for an upcoming invasion. On one such island lives a French planter, Emile de Becque, whom the Navy hopes to use as a scout to observe Japanese troop movements in the area. He would serve as guide to Lieutenant Joseph Cable of the U.S. Marines, who will provide military expertise on the mission.

While this undertaking is under consideration, de Becque meets Nellie Forbush, a U.S. Navy nurse, and Cable is introduced to Liat, a Polynesian beauty. With the war as a constant backdrop, their stories, and those of the other characters in the play, become serious drama set to an outstanding Rodgers and Hammerstein score, featuring such memorable songs as "Some Enchanted Evening," "There is Nothin' Like a Dame," "Bali Hai," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair," and "Younger Than Springtime."

I had a chance to sit down with Kevin Colbert, artistic director at the Lofte Community Theatre one week prior to the opening of South Pacific. When asked what it was that drew him to choose this as the first musical production at the new theater, Colbert responded, “It’s huge…it’s just a BIG musical. Not what we didn’t do big musicals at the old barn, but this one is just better-suited to the larger stage. We’ll be better able to show off the technology of this facility with this show than what another might have provided. Plus, since this is the opening season, I felt it was important to offer a name show, one that people immediately recognize. People know these songs, they love these songs, and I’m hoping that want to come out and hear those songs on our stage. Additionally, you can’t go wrong with good literature.”

I asked him to talk a little bit about the cast. He informed me that, the cast is comprised of 39 members, 22 of whom are new Born-in-a-Barn Players, representing 13 different communities in the Lofte Community Theatre area. Colbert went on to say that while that is very encouraging, “It is also a little spooky. Of the lead roles, I am only working with two people I have worked with before. A lot of those who are newcomers to our theater either haven’t done anything like this before, or haven’t done anything on stage for a number of years. It’s been an interesting experience to watch the development of their instincts and their willingness to take some risks on stage.”

I asked Kevin if he felt that so many new people had come out because of the new theater. He responded saying, “A lot of people have asked me that, and I just don’t know. For On Golden Pond, we only had two new people, not really much different that we would have had at the old place. I’ll probably have a better idea of how much the newness of the theater factors in at the end of this season. A good portion of it might be the attraction of being involved with something as well known as South Pacific.

I was curious as to any special problems he has encountered while putting the show together. “Our costume designer, Kathryn Cover, has mentioned that she’s finding that people are just bigger today than they were during the 40’s. The uniforms, shoes, and so on she has found from the period are just ‘teeny.’ I would say that technically, the fact that we’re in so many different scenes and that we want to try and make every one of them as big as we can to suit the play’s scope; the fact that we’re on a whole new stage doing a whole new thing is a challenge. In the past, we’ve carried out a desk and chair and called it an office. Now, we’re moving in the entire office, desk, chair, filing cabinet, walls, floors, and so on for each of the various scenes.

We’ve always had the challenge of getting stuff on and off, as well as where to store it when it wasn’t on stage, but this one is on a grander scale. We’re also making every attempt to go from scene to scene quickly and seamlessly. The new lighting capabilities will be a big help since now we have the ability to create a mood, which we’ve never been able to do before.
What is a real bonus now is that not only is the technology available, but we have some really good designers who can make the best use of what we have. I’ve mentioned Kat, our costumer, and the other very talented people are Mick Kovar (sound design), Scott Seelhoff (light design), and Linda Dabbs (scenic design). To have all of those big elements in a huge show in the capable hands of people who really want to do a good job takes a lot of pressure off me and allows me to be more focused on my job as director.”

Colbert concluded our visit by saying, “This theater is really blessed to have many tremendously dedicated, hard-working volunteers who are willing to lend their time and talents to making sure the Lofte runs smoothly and professionally. They take on some very difficult tasks and handle them so very well. This effort has been and continues to be the product of many, many hands.“