Theater

Paramount delivers lush revival of timeless ‘South Pacific’

Posted May 13, 2026 9:39 am

Barbara Vitello

Emile De Becque (Devin Archer), left, sweeps Nellie Forbush (Allsun O’Malley) off her feet in Paramount Theatre’s lush production of “South Pacific.” Courtesy of Boris Martin

“South Pacific” — 3.5 stars

Paramount Theatre’s lush revival of “South Pacific” reflects what has always been so rewarding and so unsettling about the enduring 1949 musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Rodgers’ compositions — “Some Enchanted Evening” and “This Nearly Was Mine,” exquisitely sung by Paramount newcomer Devin Archer, and the buoyant “I’m in Love With a Wonderful Guy,” led by fellow newcomer Allsun O’Malley — are glorious. The musical’s examination of bigotry and Hammerstein’s prescient lyrics for “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught,” characterizing racism as learned behavior, still land. Moreover, co-directors Devon Hayakawa and Trent Stork’s deliberate casting choices highlight the implicit bias embodied by Nellie and Lt. Cable.

For all that, the World War II-set show — adapted from James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection “Tales of the South Pacific” by Hammerstein and book co-writer Joshua Logan — retains stereotypes, exoticism and forced comic bluster that makes me cringe.

Nellie Forbush (Allsun O’Malley), center, vows to wash Emile de Becque out of her hair in Paramount Theatre’s revival of “South Pacific.” Courtesy of Boris Martin

Musically, Paramount’s revival is first-rate. The richness of the 14-member orchestra under music director/conductor Kory Danielson is evident from the first notes of the overture. Spirited numbers like that ode to male sexual frustration “Nothing Like a Dame” and the female anthem “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” showcase robust men’s and women’s choruses.

U.S. Navy Seabees stationed on a tropical island during World War II yearn for a dame to call their own in Paramount Theatre’s “South Pacific,” directed by Devon Hayakawa and Trent Stork. Courtesy of Boris Martin

While the principal performances are strong, Archer’s French expatriate Emile de Becque is exceptional. During the performance I attended, it was as if the audience collectively inhaled when Archer sang the first note of “This Nearly Was Mine” and held its breath until the final note faded. Bravo.

Try as she may, Nellie Forbush (Allsun O’Malley) can’t wash Emile de Becque (Devin Archer) out of her hair in “South Pacific,” running through June 14 at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora. Courtesy of Boris Martin

The winsome O’Malley plays Navy nurse Nellie Forbush, a cockeyed optimist with a mile-wide smile who has fallen in love with widowed father Emile. Their whirlwind romance parallels that of dewy-eyed island native Liat (Louisa Darr) and the newly arrived U.S. Marine Lt. Joe Cable (Anthony Maggio), an Ivy Leaguer who becomes entranced by her.

Cindy Chang is clear-eyed pragmatist Bloody Mary, Liat’s fiercely protective, proudly capitalist mother. Determined to ensure her daughter’s future by marrying her to Cable, she’s also keen to best her business rival Luther Billis (Matthew Michael Janisse), an entrepreneurial Navy Seabee who loses customers to her.

Bloody Mary (Cindy Chang), right, sells shrunken heads to U.S. Navy Seabees stationed on a tropical island during World War II in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific,” running through June 14 at Aurora’s Paramount Theatre. Courtesy of Boris Martin

The action unfolds on Jeffrey D. Kmiec’s set, framed by towering palms and tropical foliage, with a dreamy, South Seas island backdrop featuring soaring birds and water rippling in the moonlight, courtesy of projection expert Mike Tutaj. Lighting designer Greg Hofmann’s ever-shifting pastel hues (the gloaming is particularly lovely) also deserve mention, along with designer Adam Rosenthal’s dissonant battlefield soundscape.

Most noteworthy, however, is Stork’s truly perceptive casting.

Consider that the nurses stationed at the musical’s fictional naval base include white women and women of color while all the sailors and Marines are white. But Joshua L. Green, an African American actor, plays Capt. George Brackett, the base commander.

In reality, the U.S. military remained segregated until the mid-1950s and minority personnel served in separate units, mostly commanded by white officers. Hayakawa and Stork take liberties with history to make an important point.

It’s love at first sight for Lt. Joseph Cable (Anthony Maggio) and Liat (Louisa Darr) in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” at Paramount Theatre. Courtesy of Boris Martin

Nellie works with Black and brown nurses; she and Cable report to a Black commander; Cable falls in love with a young, Indigenous woman. Yet Cable cannot bring himself to marry Liat despite his feelings for her, and Nellie breaks it off with Emile after learning he has biracial children. Their behavior points to a covert kind of racism that accepts people of color, but only at arm’s length.

It’s an intriguing interpretation, a reminder that bigotry doesn’t always shout. Sometimes it whispers.

Kudos to Paramount for recognizing that and for embracing the contradictions of “South Pacific” — a musical that is time-locked, ahead of its time and timeless.

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Location: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666, paramountaurora.com

Showtimes: 1:30 and 7 p.m. Wednesday; 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday through June 14

Tickets: $31-$106

Running time: About 3 hours, including intermission

Parking: Limited street parking; paid lots

Rating: For teens and older, some sexually suggestive choreography