Photos: SOUTH PACIFIC At Paramount Theatre Character Portraits Revealed

Aurora’s Paramount Theatre returns with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific. Performances of Paramount’s 2025–26 Broadway Series finale are April 29–June 14, 2026. Check out photos of the newly released character portraits below.

Set in a tropical paradise with warm sea breezes, breathless sunsets and B-29 Bombers, South Pacific is arguably the most romantic musical of all time, and also an uplifting tale that reminds us all of the importance of celebrating cultural differences.

The story follows World War II armed services personnel through spy missions, war-time drama and romance. While balancing duties to their country with island expectations, U.S. Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and lieutenant Joseph Cable each suddenly find themselves irresistibly falling in love on foreign soil. But will that love translate back in the States?

Think “spectacle” when you think Paramount’s South Pacific. This production promises a talented cast of 36 actors/singers/dancers – one of Paramount’s largest ever – performing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s lush score played by a 15-piece orchestra, which even includes a harp. Add costumes hand crafted by Paramount artisans, and a tropical scenic design anchored by 20-foot palm trees with elements hewn from a half a mile of bamboo, 18,000-square-feet of netting and 10,000-square-feet of hand-painted muslin.

Of course, South Pacific is a 10-time Tony Award-winner, including Best Book and Best Score, and it features some of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most memorable showtunes like “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair” and of course, “Bali Ha’i.” It’s also an iconic, complex and important piece of musical theater that reminds us to celebrate cultural differences and the value of people unlike ourselves.

“South Pacific holds such beauty - in the setting, in the romance, and especially in the score. What’s special to me, however, is the way that this iconic musical also brings a complex story about love, war and race to the stage,” said co-director Devon Hayakawa. “As a daughter to an Asian American dad and a Caucasian mom, South Pacific means an awful lot to me. When I saw it growing up, it marked the first time I saw myself truly represented onstage - in the most accurate way, with Ngana and Jerome, but also in seeing Asian and Pacific Islander bodies on stage at all. What Trent and I are particularly excited about is to utilize the text, along with the excellent historical work of our dramaturgy team, to really deepen the characters of Bloody Mary and Liat.”

“I'm beyond excited to have South Pacific on Paramount’s stage. For one, it has some of the best music in all of musical theater history, the show's genre defining, and there's not a bad song in the entire show,” said co-director Trent Stork. “South Pacific also has a profound story full of complex characters. We’ve got Nellie Forbush, who joins the Navy to get away from her mother, see the world, and meet different kinds of people, even though she’s unprepared for what that will ask of her. We have Emile de Becque with his two children from a previous marriage, falling in love again. Bloody Mary is actually the smartest person on the island, using the war to make money, get ahead, and provide a life for her daughter."

TICKET INFORMATION

South Pacific begins previews Wednesday, April 29. Press opening is Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Performances run through June 14: Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (Exception: No matinee Wednesday, April 29.) Tickets are $31–$106*, a fraction of the cost to see a show in downtown Chicago. Plus downtown Aurora boasts easy, affordable parking and new restaurants all around. *Prices listed when tickets are purchased in-person. Additional fees apply for phone and online orders.

Photo Credit: Jennifer Heim