20th Annual PA Shakespeare Festival is Underway

The Bard is back in Southern Lehigh.

The  opened this week at . The festival, whose mission according to its Web site is "to enrich, inspire, engage, and entertain the widest possible audience through first-rate professional productions of classical and contemporary plays," kicked off with the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic musical "South Pacific."

The festival runs through August and will also include classics like "Hamlet," "Pride and Prejudice," "The Comedy of Errors," "The Two Noble Kinsmen" and "Sleeping Beauty," as well as the return of the popular play, "Shakespeare for Kids." This year will also have two "one-night-only" performances -- "William Michaels: Broadway in Concert" and "The Great Divorce."

For the first time, the festival welcomes an actor direct from the Broadway version of a show to the stage. William Michaels will reprise his role as Emile de Becque in "South Pacific," which will run from June 15 through July 3 on the Main Stage. The cast also includes Daytime Emmy-nominated (and DeSales graduate) Marnie Schulenburg as Nellie Forbush. Schulenburg  in January to speak to theater majors at her alma mater about pursuing their passion. 

"South Pacific," based on a novel by James A. Michener, tells the tale of a U.S. Navy nurse who falls in love with a plantation owner with a sordid past. It includes several classic tunes such as "I'm Going to Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair" and "Bali Ha'i."  Tickets run $41 to $53. Discounts are available for seniors and students.