Toledo, OH, January 14, 2025: Toledo Opera will present Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific on Friday, February 14, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, February 16, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Valentine Theatre, 400 North Superior, Toledo, Ohio. Performed by Toledo Opera for the first time in its 66 years, this production boasts a star-studded cast, composed of Toledo Opera audience favorites, seasoned Broadway professionals, and a world-class creative team. Toledo Opera will also host a free Pre-Opera Talk one hour before each show in the Grand Lobby of the Valentine Theatre. Former Toledo Opera Resident Artist and regional soprano Grace Wipfli, will provide historical context and insight and will be available to take questions after the talk.
First performed on April 7, 1949 at the Majestic Theater on Broadway, the premiere of South Pacific was hailed as quite the success – with the audience repeatedly stopping the performance with extended applause. The original Broadway production enjoyed immense critical and box-office success, and became the second-longest running Broadway musical to that point. The production won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Libretto, and it is the only musical production to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories. The 2008 Broadway revival, a critical success, ran for 996 performances and won seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical Revival.
Based on the anecdotes of a real-life U.S. Navy commander who was stationed on an island, South Pacific 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 own cultural prejudices with their amorous feelings, all the while under the dark cloud of a war that is coming ever closer to their island paradise. With music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan – South Pacific is adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel “Tales of the South Pacific” by James A Michener.
South Pacific will be brought to life by conductor J. Ernest Green, stage director James M. Norman, and choreographer Domonique Glover – the creative team behind Toledo Opera’s The Merry Widow and Ragtime. This original production will star Claire Leyden as Nellie Forbush, Metropolitan Opera Baritone Keith Phares (The Merry Widow and Cinderella) as Emile de Becque, Mike Schwitter as Lt. Joseph Cable, and Kamryn Loy as Bloody Mary. South Pacific will be presented in English with English captions.
Soprano Claire Leyden makes her Toledo Opera debut as Nellie Forbush. Commended for her “magnetic stage presence” and “crystalline soprano,” Leyden is a singer and actress with an extensive background in musical theater, concert, and operatic repertoire. Equally at home in everything from Shakespeare to contemporary opera, and the diversity of her recent performances speaks to her love of, and versatility in, the “crossover repertoire.” Recent engagements include Ragtime (Signature Theatre), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (National Tour), The Pirates of Penzance (New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players), and Der Freischütz (Heartbeat Opera) – among others.
For over 20 years, in repertoire from Baroque through present day, Keith Phares has appeared in leading roles with Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Seattle Opera, the New York City Opera, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, San Fransisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Santa Fe Opera, and elsewhere; in collaboration with Hal Prince, Francesca Zambello, Frank Corsaro, Richard Hickox, Marin Alsop, Sir Colin Davis, among others; and in recital with the Marilyn Horne Foundation, The Mostly Modern Festival, Word Song, and others. Phares stars in South Pacific as Emile de Becque after quickly becoming a Toledo Opera audience favorite following his portrayals of Count Danilo in Toledo Opera’s The Merry Widow and as Dandini in Toledo Opera’s Cinderella.
Mike Schwitter makes his Toledo Opera debut as Lt. Joseph Cable, a role in which he made his French debut at the Toulon Opera House in March of 2022. A seasoned performer, past credits include Broadway’s Pippin (Lewis, u/x Pippin); national tours of The Book of Mormon (u/s Elder Price) and Les Misérables (u/s Marius and Enjolras); and off-broadway’s Stardust Road (Wallace). Regional: West Side Story (Tony), South Pacific (Lt. Cable), Next to Normal (Gabe), Beautiful, Unsinkable Molly Brown, Jesus Christ Superstar. Film/TV: BROS, Holly Jolly. Mr. Schwitter has also performed with dozens of symphonies both domestically and internationally, including Cirque Musica and West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl.
Kamryn Loy will make her Toledo Opera debut as Bloody Mary. Ms. Loy has made quite a name for herself with pops appearances all over the U.S., including with the National Symphony, Symphony of the Americas, Chicago Pops, Boca Pops, Rochester Philharmonic, among others. Equally at home on Broadway as she is on the operatic stage, Ms. Loy made her Broadway debut as Kim in the original Broadway production of Miss Saigon. Other Broadway credits include: Tuptim (The King and I) and in Baz Luhrmann’s Broadway adaptation of La Bohéme. Regional opera credits include: Nedda (Pagliacci) with Dicapo Opera, The Rose (The Little Prince) with Tulsa Opera, Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) with the Academy of Vocal Arts, among others.
Also joining the cast are baritone and Toledo Opera Resident Artist Robbie Raso as Luther Billis; M. Scott Peeler as Capt. George Brackett; Kurt Elfering as Comdr. William Harbison; soprano and Toledo Opera Resident Artist Sarah Rachel Bacani as Liat; Mia Snyder as Ngana; Nico Perez de Tagle as Jerome; baritone Michael James Vanderpool as Stewpot; tenor and Toledo Opera Resident Artist Brady DelVecchio as The Professor; tenor Nicholas Kottman as Lt. Buzz Adams; tenor Noah Smith as Yeoman Herbert Quale; Christopher Stack as Radio Operator Bob McCaffrey; mezzo soprano and Toledo Opera Resident Artist Emily Cotten as Ensign Dinah Murphy; and Ella Green as Ensign Janet MacGregor. All the aforementioned performers round out the principal cast with a complex mix of national, international, and regional talent.
For Toledo Opera General Director and South Pacific stage director, James M. Norman, the opportunity to produce South Pacific is both a professional milestone and a personal passion. “Directing South Pacific for the fourth time is an absolute joy, and it feels like coming home to one of the most timeless and impactful pieces of musical theater. To collaborate with such an illustrious cast, whose talent and passion elevate every note and every moment, is nothing short of thrilling. This story continues to resonate deeply, and I am honored to bring it to life once again for audiences who will undoubtedly be moved by its beauty and relevance.”
“We are thrilled to bring the golden-age musical South Pacific to life for Toledo audiences,” added Toledo Opera Artistic Director Kevin Bylsma. “Hummable tunes and compelling storytelling make this the perfect way to spend Valentine’s weekend!”
Toledo Opera will perform South Pacific at the Valentine Theatre on Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, February 16 at 2 p.m. To learn more about South Pacific cast and production team and to buy tickets, visit: toledoopera.org.