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.
Ahh, a new megamusical is in town. It’s hard to remember the last time one of these opened up. Not the over-bloated film adaptations that continue to plague Broadway stages, but the gargantuan originals of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Towering sets, huge ensembles, grandiose plots told through so-so methods that nevertheless win you over. Paradise Square, now at the Barrymore Theatre, qualifies on all these counts, with a healthy dose of “America is a beautiful melting pot” earnestness that has all but been erased by a more timely (more accurate) understanding of the country’s jumbled ingredients.
Unfortunately, for a story set during the Civil War, Paradise Square sometimes seems at war with itself. The captivating choreography is rarely well-integrated into director Moises Kaufman's stand-and-sing staging - which also makes it devilishly difficult to connect emotionally to the characters. The large ensemble, likewise, feels too big on a stage dominated by a giant industrial-looking set piece meant to represent Nellie's bar; it rotates often, and somewhat pointlessly, as it looks pretty much the same on both sides. (Allen Moyer is the designer.)
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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