Some enchanted evening
Lynbrook High School drama club presents musical ‘South Pacific’
The enchanting call of “Bali Ha’i” echoed through Lynbrook High School’s Branciforte Theater as the Drama Club presented the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic “South Pacific.” Sixty-five years after its acclaimed Broadway debut and five years after its Tony-winning revival, these young actors captured all the spirit and drama that won this beloved American musical the Pulitzer Prize in 1950.
Singing such classics as “Some Enchanted Evening,” “There Is Nothing Like a Dame,” “Bali Ha’i” and “Younger Than Springtime,” the performers delivered the kind of professional theater experience that their audiences have come to expect.
The story, set during World War II, revolves around an American nurse named Nellie Forbush, played by Leah Elefante. While stationed on a South Pacific Island, Nellie falls in love with French plantation owner Emile De Becque (Zack Zaromatidis), but she finds she cannot accept his mixed-race children, who are played by South Middle seventh-graders Kaylie Hausknecht and Nelson Mei. A second parallel romance involves Lt. Joseph Cabel (Matthew Paris), who falls hopelessly in love with a Polynesian girl named Liat (Katherine Moreno), only to find that his own ingrained prejudices prevent him from committing to the relationship. Comic touches are added by native islander Bloody Mary (Alexa Zaromatidis) and enlisted man Luther Billis (Chris Bilello), two island entrepeneurs who compete to fill the island’s unending demand for shrunken heads and grass skirts. The musical, which begins on a light note, shows its serious side in Act 2 where the issue of racial prejudice is poignantly explored through the evolution of the two love stories. This many-layered plot gave the young thespians many opportunities to demonstrate the range and depth of their acting abilities, moving audiences both to laughter and to tears.
Kevin Harrington directed, and Barry Wyner was the vocal director, and the orchestral director was Joseph Pallotta and choreographer Jessica Bedson. Set design by Michael Kunz, set construction of Tom Wolber, costume design of Barbara Kirby and lighting design of Glen Davis. Annie Pasqua was the rehearsal pianist and Tara Bridges was the costume assistant. Sound designs were handled by Wireless Sounds.
