In a much-anticipated pre-Broadway run, Paradise Square brings American history to life in a compellingly entertaining way.
The musical production combines spirited tunes and expert choreography.
Picture this: The year is 1863. The Civil War rages across the country. In Five Points, a notorious slum in Lower Manhattan, Irish immigrants escaping the Great Famine settle alongside freeborn Black Americans and those who escaped slavery. In a much-anticipated pre-Broadway production raising its curtain in Chicago starting Nov. 2, Paradise Square follows these two groups, considered undesirable by the vast majority of Americans, as they coexist, intermarry and share their cultures. This amalgamation culminates in the invention of tap dancing, a combination of Irish step dancing and Black American Juba. Says producer Garth Drabinsky, “I am attracted to the story of the racial struggles of Black America, and I am deeply supportive of provoking audiences to understand the struggles, raising the issues and having conversations. The theater should provoke thought with relevant and profound conversations about those affected so dramatically.”
Cast members Gabrielle McClinton and Sidney DuPont share a moment on stage.
Drabinsky continues, “[The two groups] were thriving in a neighborhood with deep respect to the point of social involvement in the full sense of the word—with intermarriage in a city that was pro-South and supportive of slavery because of the cotton trade. This was a story that needed to be told with music and choreography. The history was clear.” Directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife, 33 Variations), the show is resplendent with music by Grammy and Emmy winner Jason Howland, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare, and choreography by Tony Award winner Bill T. Jones. A star-studded cast, led by Tony Award nominee Joaquina Kalukango and Chilina Kennedy, transforms the stage and effortlessly transports audiences to 19th century New York as denizens of a local saloon discover what it means to be an American while living through one of the most tumultuous eras in U.S. history. Nov. 2-Dec. 5, James M. Nederlander Theatre, 24 W. Randolph St., broadwayinchicago.com
“THE THEATER SHOULD PROVOKE THOUGHT WITH RELEVANT AND PROFOUND CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THOSE AFFECTED SO DRAMATICALLY.” –GARTH DRABINSKY
Photography by: COURTESY OF PARADISE SQUARE; BY KEVIN BERNE
