Rubicon Theatre’s 20th Anniversary Season culminates with a two-piano version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s soaring epic South Pacific, helmed by award-winning director Katharine Farmer and featuring a cast of 28 led by Tony honoree Ben Davis (Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème) and Madison Claire Parks (Luisa in The Fantasticks Off-Broadway).
Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece “Tales of the South Pacific,” the musical is set on an exotic island during World War II. The plot follows two love stories about seeming-opposites brought together by the circumstances of war and torn apart by prejudice and fear.
The timeless score includes beautiful ballads such as “Younger the Springtime” and “Some Enchanted Evening,” exuberant up-tempo songs like “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy. Ovation Award-winner Brent Crayon serves as Musical Director and First Keyboard Player, and Lee Martino (multiple Ovation and L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards) is choreographer.
According to Producing Artistic Director Karyl Lynn Burns, Rubicon’s production of South Pacific will be approached as a play with music, much like Rubicon’s prior productions of Fiddler on the Roof, My Fair Lady and Man of La Mancha. “As a regional theatre company in a small venue, we hope to offer audiences an especially intimate, in-depth connection to the storytelling and the relationships.”
Director Farmer and Mike Billings (Sets, Lights and Multimedia) conceived a set made up of military issue pieces that the ensemble will move to create various locales. “The idea is that we as American military in wartime are trying to maneuver and manage what happens on this little island in a culture that has different values than our own,” says Farmer. “
“The cast members of this South Pacific are also a part of what we believe will make this show different,” says Burns. “Katharine and the team have found artists with gorgeous voices who are also extraordinary actors intent on mining the rich human truths of their characters,” continues Burns.
Ben Davis was a Tony honoree for Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème, in which he played Marcello. He has also starred on Broadway as Trevor Graydon in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Javert and Enjolras in Les Misérables, the Preacher in Violet, and others.
Madison Claire Parks received critical acclaim this year for her portrayal of Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls with both Musical Theatre West and Theatre Under the Stars. She is perhaps best known for her more than 400 performances as Luisa in the historic Off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks in
New York.
Rubicon Theatre’s production of South Pacific runs Dec. 5 through 23 at 1006 E. Main Street (the corner of Main and Laurel). The show begins with low-priced previews Wed., Dec. 5 at 7:00 p.m., Thurs., Dec. 6 at 7:00 p.m. and Fri. Dec. 7 at 8:00 p.m. The gala opening is Sat., Dec. 8 at 7:00 p.m., and is followed by a party with the cast and local dignitaries at Aloha Steakhouse For other dates and tickets, go to www.rubicontheatre.org or call 805.667.2900.
