“SOME ENCHANTED EVENING”: Joe Zedeny as Emile De Becque and Alexis Bellhorn as Nellie Forbush headline an ensemble cast when The MTM Players presents “South Pacific” October 10-19.

Two love stories, threatened by the dangers of prejudice and war on a Pacific island during World War II, come to life on the stage of the Kelsey Theatre on the West Windsor Campus of Mercer County Community College when the MTM players presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical South Pacific, October 10-19.

Based on the experiences of a real-life U.S. Navy commander, South Pacific follows two intercultural love stories during the beginning of the allied involvement in the Pacific theater in 1942. Nellie, a spunky Navy nurse from Arkansas, and Lt. Joseph Cable both find themselves struggling to reconcile their own cultural prejudices with their amorous feelings, all while under the dark cloud of a war that is coming ever closer to their island paradise.

Featuring memorable songs that include “Some Enchanted Evening,” “Bali Hai,” “Nothing Like a Dame,” and “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair,” South Pacific premiered on Broadway in 1949 and was an immediate hit, running for 1,925 performances. The plot is based on James A. Michener’s 1947 Pulitzer Prize–winning book, Tales of the South Pacific. The original Broadway production won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Libretto, and is the only musical production to win Tony Awards in all four acting categories.

Dates and showtimes are Friday and Saturday, October 10, 11, 17, and 18 at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, October 11, 12, 18 and 19 at 2 p.m. at the Kelsey Theatre on Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. Tickets are $26 for adults and $24 for seniors, veterans, active military, and students. Visit kelseytheatre.org.