Ellington

Stationed on an island in the South Pacific, U.S. Navy nurse Nellie Forbush wasn't focusing on the fighting that took place during World War II, or her home in Little Rock, Ark. She had her eyes set on French plantation owner Emile de Becque, a man many years her senior.

Sound a little familiar? It should. That's the central tale of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein's musical, "South Pacific."

Debuting on Broadway in 1949, the play maintained its must-see status for a number of years, eventually becoming a film in 1958 with actors Mitzi Gaynor and Rossano Brazzi. The musical will take on new life this September, thanks to the music department at Mississippi College in Clinton.

Despite the prolific writing team behind "South Pacific," Kristen Gunn, MC's assistant professor of voice and coordinator of musical theater and opera, says it doesn't have the same following as other Rodgers and Hammerstein productions, such as "The Sound of Music."

"Their works are so well loved, but 'South Pacific' is a musical that a lot of people know the tunes to, but don't really know the story," Gunn says.

Gunn, 33, is the music director for "South Pacific," having directed the singers of five musicals and three operas in her seven years at MC. The play's stage director is Chris Roebuck, educational director at New Stage Theatre, and the choreographer is Marlena Duncan of the Power Academic and Performing Arts Complex in Jackson. With a directing team that represents the broader Jackson dramatic community, it's no surprise that this year also adds a few new faces to the cast—some newer than others.

Gunn says MC musical roles have been open to the community—adults, high-school students and children—since last year's "Les Miserables." "For 'South Pacific,' it made sense to do that again because one of the leading roles (Emile de Becque) is in his 50s," Gunn says.

That's where celebrated baritone Patton Rice comes in. A music instructor at the Mississippi School of the Arts in Brookhaven, Rice is a strong choice for de Becque, portraying the middle-aged planter with the appropriate amount of gusto. Rice, who has also performed with the Mississippi Opera, lends his considerable experience to the proceedings, which is needed this time around; the directing team has one less month to prepare than for previous musicals.

Despite the ticking clock, Gunn, Roebuck and Duncan have taken on big challenges with "South Pacific," including double-casting many of the roles. MC senior Olivia Broome and junior Jamie Ferguson play Nellie Forbush, while junior Nicholas Ford and sophomore Charlie Bell play the role of U.S. Marine Lt. Joe Cable, to a name just a few of the leads. Unlike understudies, these actors and actresses alternate each night, which creates a different experience for every performance. "We encourage each person who is double-cast to bring their own unique skill set to the role," Gunn says. "The colors of their voices make the music sound different."

In more ways than one, "different" is the operative word for "South Pacific." In a time when racism often went ignored, Rodgers and Hammerstein's singing heroes challenged audiences to accept less conventional loves. The team aimed a mirror at the racism that ran rampant in post-war America. During the play's second act, Lt. Cable sings about the conscious cultivation of racism stateside in the song "You've Got to Be Carefully Taught," a number nixed from most performances in the South.

Musicals aren't just a piece of history for Gunn, but something to be cherished today. "People who don't even have musical backgrounds revere it as an art form," Gunn says. "I think, with the American musical, we have ownership of that. That's our genre."

"South Pacific" shows in the Jean Pittman Williams Recital Hall at Mississippi College (200 S. Capitol St., Clinton), Sept. 18-20 and 25-27 at 7 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., Sept. 21 and 28. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children or students with IDs. For more information, call 601-925-3440.