From the high-flying mischief of James M. Barrie's legendary imp, Peter Pan, to a fly-over by a vintage World War II bomber, Tuacahn Amphitheater is ready for take off with its 2006 "Broadway in the Desert" season.
Playing on alternate nights, Wednesday through Sept. 2, will be "Peter Pan" on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Rodgers & Hammerstein's romantic musical "South Pacific" is scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Theatergoers visiting the Ivins complex later in the summer can also see a Tuacahn High School Summer Theatre Institute production of "Grease: the School Edition," featuring a cast of youngsters from throughout the state in the indoor Hafen Theatre, July 6-Aug. 5.
TIM THRELFALL of Utah County is directing "South Pacific." "My concept for it is that it's not really a show you can mess around with," Threlfall said by phone from Ivans. "It's kind of exacting in its World War II setting. We'll have vintage trucks and Jeeps onstage, and a fly-over featuring a vintage bomber owned by a St. George man who maintains it in flying condition."
He said the show's younger couple, Lt. Cable and Polynesian Liat, will have a "From Here to Eternity" moment on the beach while military men and other natives will be swimming in Tuacahn's "back 40" toward the canyon. The venue's well-known flood will be utilized more as a tropical water feature. Cast members for both productions were selected from auditions with more than 560 performers in Los Angeles, San Diego, New York City and Salt Lake City. "Most of the leads are from New York, but our Nellie Forbush is Suzie Balser, who graduated from Brigham Young University," Threlfall said. (Balser will also play Tiger Lily in "Peter Pan.")
Lending some historic realism will be a news-style "KSL Big Broadcast" format for the pre-show entertainment on the plaza, and authentic newsreel footage and lobby displays, partly assembled by dramaturg Janine Sobeck, a graduate student at BYU. "My father-in-law served in World War II in the South Pacific," Threlfall said, "and we have some of his photographs."
SCOTT ANDERSON, who is directing "Peter Pan," said the Tuacahn staff met with representatives of Flying by Foy last year to see what could be designed and built to work with the show.
Unlike most indoor "proscenium" theaters, Tuacahn has no stagehouse or "fly space" above the stage, but the company's engineering expertise and know-how created a system that will allow the actors to literally fly over the audience.
"We've also tried to up the ante this year and get more Equity actors in the ensembles," Anderson said.
Fairly late in the rehearsal process, actors originally chosen to play Peter Pan got an offer to perform in "Mamma Mia" in Las Vegas. "We have to honor their Equity contracts and let them take another job if one turns up," Anderson said.
He added that local Equity actor Aaron de Jesus quickly came to St. George to take over the role. "He's just a ball of energy, and we've also added some different animals in the show to make it more fun for the kids." Eric Fielding of BYU has designed the scenery for both main-stage shows.
Performers in major roles include Michael Hawkins as both "Peter Pan's" Captain Hook (a role he's previously played on tour) and "South Pacific's" Captain Brackett, Amy Jo Phillips as Bloody Mary, Kenneth Wayne as Smee and Luther Billis, John Racca as Emile DeBeque, Laila Brown as Liat, Brandon Strawder as Lt. Joe Cable, Eddy Schumacher as Stewpot, and Brady Karratti and Bryanna Karratti as DeBeque's two children, Jerome and Ngana.
The preshow dinners served on the plaza each evening will feature themes around the two shows — a Dutch oven-style Captain's Cookout prior to "Peter Pan" and a Polynesian Island Feast prior to "South Pacific." Dinners are $11 for adults and $8 for children, with advance reservations required.
If you go
What: "South Pacific" and "Peter Pan"
Where: Tuacahn Amphitheater, Ivins
When: Wednesday through Sept. 2, 8:30 p.m.
How much: $20-$44
Phone: 800-746-9882
Web: www.tuacahn.org
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com