The story primarily revolves around Ensign Nellie Forbush, a young, bubbly, cockeyed optimist nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas who has just met, and is just falling in love with local, middle-aged, widowed French plantation owner Emile De Becque. Until she is shown his two children from his deceased Tonkinese wife. Starring as Nellie is Danielle Smotrich, a young Andie MacDowell type who does hit the happy, cockeyed optimist personality and delivers some amusingly asked personal questions as she tries to inquire as to why Emile might have killed a man. That Emile is performed by Darien Sepulveda who plays off Nellie well as he opens up to her about his past and makes no excuses for it.

The other big storyline in the show is that of Lt. Joe Cable (Daniel Myers who impresses with his sensitivity and tremendous vocals), newly arrived on the island under command to hideout on a nearby island behind enemy lines and transmit critical Japanese naval movements. As his mission becomes sidetracked, he gets sidetracked by the young, sweet, and lovely Tonkinese girl Liat (Danielle Levin). Their matchmaker is the singular Bloody Mary, a local entrepreneur who gets determined to bring Joe and her daughter together, with Satya Chavez giving a standout performance with her humorous personality and beautiful, hypnotic singing of Bali Ha’i.

Elsewhere, Robbie Friedman wraps up his youth theatre career with a strong comic performance as Luther Billis, a too-clever-for-his-own-good sailor who wants to get to Balil Ha’i for business opportunities and female opportunities. He also does some quick thinking when a couple freshly washed clothes are dropped in the set’s “sand” as he gives them to Nellie (“I’ll wash those again later,” he adds). His fellow Seabees join him in pining for dames (including some hilariously young men who are about eight years old), while the dames on the island try to wash the men right out of their hair with Nellie in one of the best scenes of the show.

Director Joey Landwehr had to pull double-duty for the last performance in the run, jumping into the role of Commander William Harbison. He commanded a good show that looked good as well, with a variety of nice costumes by Lisa Forrest and impressive sets by Heidi Atchinson. And the next set won’t be too far away geographically speaking, heading to Siam/Thailand in December for Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I.

Performed October 15 - 25, 2009

Rob Hopper
National Youth Theatre

~ Cast ~