Jane Onojafe
925.931.4855
jonojafe@cityofpleasantonca.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
South Pacific: Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre kicks off their 6th Season of professional musical theater at the Firehouse Arts Center with the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Set against the dramatic background of an idyllic South Pacific island during WWII, the story intertwines the themes of romance, duty, and prejudice to create a story that is at once hilarious, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. Featuring Broadway classics including “Younger Than Springtime,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” and “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame.”
OPENING NIGHT: Saturday, November 7. Shows run through Sunday, November 22. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. Additional full matinee performance Saturday, November 14, 2:00 p.m. Reserved seat tickets are $18-$39. Purchase online at www.firehousearts.org, 925-931-4848, or at the center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.
PCRT Presents: South Pacific
Musical opens at Firehouse Arts Center Saturday, November 7
Pleasanton, Calif. – Pacific Coast Repertory Company kicks off their 6th Season of professional musical theater at the Firehouse Arts Center on Saturday, November 7, at 8:00 p.m. with a sparkling new production of South Pacific, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical featuring such Broadway musical classics including “Younger Than Springtime,” “Some Enchanted Evening,” and “There is Nothin’ Like a Dame.”
November 8 Special Event: An “Inside the Show” discussion with the principal actors will take place after the Sunday matinee performance. Admission is free with a ticket to the performance.
Set against the dramatic background of an idyllic South Pacific island during WWII, the story intertwines the themes of romance, duty, and prejudice to create a story that is at once hilarious, heartbreaking, and thought-provoking. Based on the anecdotes of a real-life U.S. Navy commander who was himself stationed on a remote island, the musical follows two intercultural love stories: Nellie, a spunky nurse from Arkansas, falls in love with Emile, a French plantation owner on the island who has two children from his late Polynesian wife; at the same time, U.S. Lieutenant Cable falls for a beautiful island native named Liat. Both Americans find themselves struggling to reconcile their cultural prejudices with their hearts’ desires, all the while under the dark cloud of a war that is coming ever closer to their little paradise.
PCRT Co-Founder Joy Sherratt directs and choreographs the production. Sherratt explains that while South Pacific is a tale of love in the middle of wartime, and the lush musical score might just be Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s best, “What draws me as a director to this musical is that the story being told is layered with a real moral conflict that audiences can relate to today. To fall in love completely challenges and changes the way one thinks. And the Firehouse is the perfect intimate space to tell this tale.”
Musical Direction by Rachel Robinson, Scenic Designs by Pat Brandon, Lighting Design by Mike Oesch and Costumes by Margaret daSilva.
Starring in the leading roles of “Emile de Becque” and “Nellie Forbush” are professional actors Joshua Hollister (AEA) and Brandy Collazo. Hollister has studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he received a Bachelor of Music with honors in Opera Performance, and has performed a wide range of opera and musical theatre roles throughout North America and Europe. Collazo was last seen on the PCRT stage as Kathy Selden in Singin’ in the Rain. Her many Bay Area theater accolades include Shellie Awards for her roles as “Peter” in Peter Pan and “Millie Dillmount” in Thoroughly Modern Millie. A very talented group of professional and regional actors complete cast and ensemble.
The show opens Saturday, November 7, and plays Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. through November 22 on the Firehouse Arts Center stage. Additional performance Saturday, November 14, 2:00 p.m. Reserved seat tickets are $18-$39, and youth, senior, and group discounts are available.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.firehousearts.org, by phone at (925) 931-4848, or in person at the Firehouse Arts Center Box Office, 4444 Railroad Avenue, Pleasanton.
The Firehouse Arts Center is dedicated to inspiring passion through the arts. The center is comprised of the 227-seat Firehouse Theater, the 2000 square foot Harrington Gallery, classrooms and rehearsal space, the grand atrium lobby, and the famous interior glass bridge. With world-class performing and visual arts, exciting interactive programs for all ages, and a state-of-the-art venue which opened in 2010, we combine the sophistication of the culturally rich Bay Area arts landscape with the hospitality and intimacy of our own home town. The Firehouse Arts Center is located at 4444 Railroad Avenue in downtown Pleasanton. Media: Jane Onojafe, jonojafe@cityofpleasantonca.gov, or 925-931-4855
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