New York City. 1863. The Civil War raged on. An extraordinary thing occurred amid the dangerous streets and crumbling tenement houses of the Five Points, the notorious 19th-century Lower Manhattan slum. Irish immigrants escaping the devastation of the Great Famine settled alongside free-born Black Americans and those who escaped slavery, arriving by means of the Underground Railroad. The Irish, relegated at that time to the lowest rung of America's social status, received a sympathetic welcome from their Black neighbors (who enjoyed only slightly better treatment in the burgeoning industrial-era city). The two communities co-existed, intermarried, raised families, and shared their cultures in this unlikeliest of neighborhoods.
Paradise Square comes very close to saving itself from its own impulses - not least from a theatrically disappointing climax of a brief, unterrifying and bloodless riot - by giving star Kalukango the evening's single greatest moment of glory: a powerhouse anthem of anger and defiance called 'Let It Burn,' in which this wonderful singer castigates the rioters and the destroyers and taunts that the human spirit can survive the destruction of ramshackle structures. As a battle tactic, 'Let It Burn' falls a good deal short, but as a vocal exercise for an astonishing singer, the number is a treasure (and might very well hand Kalukango a Tony Award nomination that might otherwise have missed her).
It's a handsome production, with a talented and notably large cast; the exciting dance sequences, choreographed by Bill T. Jones, are among the show's highlights [...] The problem is that the writing doesn't support the spectacle, yielding a ponderous hash of good intentions that often feels like a training-wheels version of Ragtime. The disjointed script hops among scenes and tones, and while one understands the impetus behind ditching Foster's catchy but plantation-flavored songs, the score that has replaced them-by Jason Howland, Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare-is mostly unmemorable.
2019 | San Francisco (Regional) |
World Premiere Berkeley Production San Francisco (Regional) |
2022 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Joaquina Kalukango |
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Bill T. Jones |
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Music | Jason Howland |
2022 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Wig and Hair | Matthew B. Armentrout |
2022 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Awards | Joaquina Kalukango |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Joaquina Kalukango |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Bill T. Jones |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Alex Sanchez |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Garrett Coleman |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Jason Oremus |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Moisés Kaufman |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical | A.J. Shively |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Paradise Square |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Orchestrations | Jason Howland |
2022 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Score | Jason Howland |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Book of a Musical | Christina Anderson |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Bill T. Jones |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Costume Design of a Musical | Toni-Leslie James |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Donald Holder |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Musical | Paradise Square |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Jason Howland |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre | Jason Howland |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | Sidney DuPont |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical | A.J. Shively |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | Joaquina Kalukango |
2022 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Allen Moyer |
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