The cast and crew of Tacoma Musical Playhouse’s production of “South Pacific” received a well-deserved standing ovation on opening night Oct. 3. A classic Rogers & Hammerstein 1949 Broadway musical that won ten Tony Awards at the time, “South Pacific” is a tale of love’s triumph over racial prejudice amidst the upheaval of the WWII Pacific theater in which the forces of the United States and the Empire of Japan vied with one another for domination of the Pacific.

Two parallel love stories are at work in the plot. Nellie Forbush (Marissa Ryder) is an American Naval nurse from Little Rock who has fallen in love with middle-aged French plantation owner Emile de Becque (Rafe Wadleigh). When Nellie learns that Emile was married to a Polynesian woman with whom he had two children, it offends southern Nellie’s mores and she tries to distance herself from him despite the pain it causes her.

The second love story is that between Lt. Joe Cable (Matt Posner), an American Marine, and Liat (April Villanueva), a Tonkinese (Vietnamese) maiden with whom he is utterly enchanted to the point of addiction. Yet when Cable is encouraged to marry Liat and “make babies,” he balks. “I can’t marry her!” he shouts. Lt. Cable eventually comes to realize that everything he wants is there in the south Pacific with Liat. Tragically, however, he is killed on a dangerous mission. (Emile survives the same mission to be reunited with Nellie).

Comic relief is provided by Luther Billis (John Miller), an enterprising sailor who seems to have a finger in everybody’s pie.

The show is chock full of musical numbers that have become standards. “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” and “Some Enchanted Evening” are but two of the musical hits. While much of the material remains fresh and entertaining, the racial themes of the show make it feel like a quaint artifact of a distant era. Nellie’s qualms about Emile’s previous marriage to a Polynesian woman seem unfathomable, as is Lt. Cable’s refusal to marry an Asian woman no matter how much he loves her. The script is also sprinkled with racial epithets toward the Japanese, which feel jarring even though they ground the story in its historical setting, one far removed from today’s audience.

Nevertheless, TMP’s “South Pacific” is blessed by solid, confident performances by all of the cast members. Ryder, as Nellie, has a sweet, buttery voice that is beautifully counter-pointed by Wadleigh. As the debonair French planter Emile, Wadleigh manages to convey his French accent even in song.

As the leading man in the second love story, Posner (as Lt. Cable) deploys his powerful vocal chords and delivers outstanding performances in all of his numbers. The classic “Younger than Springtime,” in which Cable sings his love to Liat, is particularly outstanding. It is also Posner’s character that sings “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” which is the philosophical crux of the theme of love overcoming racial prejudice. “You’ve got to be carefully taught to hate all the people your relatives hate before you’re six, or seven or eight,” goes the song. It is a keen insight, especially considering the date that Oscar Hammerstein penned the lyrics (perhaps basing his poetry upon the prose of James Michener whose “Tales of the South Pacific” was the source of the musical).

April Villanueva, who plays Liat, is enchanting as the young Tonkinese woman with whom Lt. Cable has fallen in love. Her voice is velvety and rich.

The TMP orchestra, directed by Jeffrey Stvrtecky, also delivers the goods in what is a uniformly strong and entertaining performance.

“South Pacific” runs through Oct. 26. For further information visit www.tmp.org or call (253) 565-6867.