Celebrating its 41st year and with a packed house, Ohio Light Opera in Wooster opened this year’s summer season with a lively production of *South Pacific*, the 1949 classic by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The now-familiar story, based loosely on James Mitchener’s *Tales of the South Pacific*, celebrates love and notes its dangers. Set during World War II, the story takes place on two islands (one, the ever-mysterious “Bali Ha’i”) occupied by US military forces. An island resident, the wealthy French planter Emile de Becque (Aidan Smerud), throws a party for the Americans and it is there he meets nurse Nellie Forbush (Sarah Best). Ah, love at first sight! Smerud’s rich bass/baritone voice makes swooningly delightful work of “Some Enchanted Evening” and “This Nearly Was Mine.” As Nellie, his love interest, Best also captures the romantic beauty in their songs together, especially in “This Is How It Feels.” In a secondary plot, Lt. Joe Cable (Alan Smith) romantically courts Liat (Lauren Nash Silberstein), the fetching (but non-singing) native girl. Although this story inspires the lyric song “Younger Than Springtime,” today it’s hard to feel romantic about it. We have to cast aside our doubts about her mother (a hilarious Bloody Mary played by Michelle Pedersen), an enterprising woman who “sells” her daughter to Cable. Times have really changed. Full Review at Coolcleveland link below https://coolcleveland.com/2019/06/theater-review-south-pacific-ohio-light-op...