Asheville Lyric Opera brought the classic production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” to Asheville on July 18 weekend — and to say that this reviewer’s opinion is biased would be correct, seeing as I sat on the opera company’s board for the first six of its 15 years.

Those were six challenging years for the company, but through much hard work, David Starkey and company have stayed true to the art form and have consistently delivered quality opera and musical theater to the Western North Carolina audience —  and “South Pacific” was no exception.

The story is based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Tales of the South Pacific,” which he wrote in 1946 about his  U.S. Navy experiences in the South Pacific. Rodgers and Hammerstein then adapted it for Broadway in 1949, and to say this was a masterpiece would be an understatement. While the story was written and is set more than 50 years ago and may seem a bit dated, the brilliance of the music remains as timely as ever.  

Thomas Joiner conducted a well-balanced orchestra, which was positioned on stage, behind the performers. I always worry this will make it hard for the singers to be heard, but Joiner kept consistent control of the volume, making a pleasant background for some really good singing. Nellie Forbush, the naive nurse from Little Rock, Ark., was played by Michelle Seipel. She falls in love with the cultured Frenchman Emile de Becque, who was played by Mark Owen Davis. Seipel and Davis, both with impressive credentials, did not disappoint, blending their voices well. Their solid acting carried the audience on a believable journey of love found, love almost lost, and then love found again. 

Directors Jon and Elizabeth Truitt gave solid guidance in the adaption of this musical, but — for a concert — their efforts seemed too involved. Occasionally, the timing was a little slow during the scene changes, but this hardly affected the overall flow of the show, especially with the strong talent of all the performers.

The Chorus Boys and Girls were very strong. Simone Vigilante as Bloody Mary and Strother Stingley as Luther Billis tried to steal the show but, alas, the final embrace of Siepel and Davis (Nellie and Emile) was the true scene-stealer.

Yet, the real stars of this classic work are its timeless songs, including “A Cockeyed Optimist,” “There Is Nothin’ Like a Dame” and the very hummable “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.”

Embodying the underlying message of the show is the song “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught,” which is preceded by a lyric saying racism is “not born in you! It happens after you’re born....”

However, the real workhorse of the musical is “Some Enchanted Evening.” This is probably one of the finest songs ever written for a musical to date, but being a baritone myself and having sung the tune many times, again, I am biased.

The ALO provided an enjoyable evening of theater with “South Pacific,” and I do not believe anyone left disappointed. “South Pacific” was the second-longest running Broadway musical to that point (behind Rodgers and Hammerstein’s earlier “Oklahoma!”), and has remained popular ever since.

ALOS’s next season will present “Die Fledermaus” at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 and at 3 p.m. Oct. 5.

In 2015, it will present a “Gala” in January, “West Side Story” in April and “Rigoletto” next summer. For more details, visit the ALO’s website at www.ashevillelyric.org. 

I am proud to say I have been a part of this opera company and the art form it brings to the community — and wish it continued success in the future.