VIDEO: Joaquina Kalukango Discusses Being Grateful to Be Back on Stage in PARADISE SQUARE Post-Show Speech

Paradise Square officially resumed performances last night, April 19, after briefly going dark due to COVID cases within the cast.

Joaquina Kalukango gave a speech after last night's performance, where she talked about being grateful to be back on stage.

"Some of you may know, maybe not, we have been closed. Covid done got us!" she said. "And now we're here and we're so happy to be back. We couldn't be back without all of y'all. But most importantly, we couldn't be back without the amazing swings and understudies and standbys."

Watch the full video!

Tony Award nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play) leads a cast that also stars Chilina Kennedy(Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Tony Award nominee John Dossett (Newsies, Gypsy), Sidney Dupont (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), A.J. Shively (La Cage aux Folles, Bright Star), Nathaniel Stampley (The Gershwin's Porgy & Bess, The Color Purple), Gabrielle McClinton (Pippin, Chicago), Jacob Fishel (Fiddler on the Roof), Kevin Dennis (Canadian productions of Young Frankenstein,Assassins) and Matt Bogart (Smokey Joe's Café, Miss Saigon). Aisha Jackson (Frozen, Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical) will stand by for Ms. Kalukango.

The production also features Garrett Coleman, Colin Barkell, Karen Burthwright, Kennedy Caughell, Dwayne Clark, Conor Coleman, Eric Craig, Colin Cunliffe, Chloe Davis, Josh Davis, Bernard Dotson, Jamal Christopher Douglas, Camille Eanga-Selenge, Sam Edgerly, Shiloh Goodin, Sean Jenness, Joshua Keith, Jay McKenzie, Ben Michael, Kayla Pecchioni, Eilis Quinn, Lee Siegel, Erica Spyres, Lael Van Keuren, Sir Brock Warren, Alan Wiggins, Kristen Beth Williams and Hailee Kaleem Wright.

Paradise Square has a book by Christina Anderson (Good Goods, Inked Baby), Craig Lucas (The Light in the Piazza, An American in Paris) and Larry Kirwan (lead singer of Black 47), with music by Jason Howland (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), lyrics by Nathan Tysen (Amélie) and Masi Asare (Monsoon Wedding), and additional music by Mr. Kirwan, inspired in part by the songs of Stephen Foster.Musical supervision, music direction and orchestrations are by Mr. Howland, with arrangements by Mr. Howland and Mr. Kirwan.

Direction is by two-time Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman (I Am My Own Wife, The Laramie Project), who was a 2015 National Medal of Arts recipient under President Barack Obama. Choreography is by Bill T. Jones, who is a two-time Tony Award winner (Spring Awakening, Fela!), 2014 National Medal of Arts recipient also under Obama, and a 2010 Kennedy Center Honoree. Musical staging is by Alex Sanchez (Far From Heaven, NY City Center Encores!). Irish and Hammerstep choreography is by Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus.

Paradise Square is produced by three-time Tony Award winner Garth H. Drabinsky (Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award, Best Musical), Show Boat (Tony Award, Best Revival of a Musical), Ragtime, Fosse(Tony Award, Best Musical), Parade). Mr. Drabinsky's longtime colleague, documentary filmmaker Peter LeDonne (the Academy Award-nominated Curtain Call and Sister Rose's Passion) is co-producing.

The multi-award-winning creative team features scenic design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Jon Weston, projection design by Wendall K. Harrington and Shawn Edward Boyle, hair and wig design by Matthew Armentrout and special effects by Gregory Meeh. Dramaturgy is by Thulani Davis and Sydné Mahone.