Theater Thursday - Paradise Square

What: Paradise Square 

Where: Ethel Barrymore Theatre 

            243 W. 47th St. 

            New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

Paradise Square is a musical about of group of free-born Black Americans and escaped slaves and a group of Irish immigrants. They peacefully coexist in the Five Points section of New York City during the Civil War until a ruthless politician begins to stir up trouble. This is a beautiful show about family both real and found.  The engaging plot moves along quickly and is at times heartwarming at times heartwrenching, and there are plenty of truly good-hearted caring characters to root for.

The show is full of delightful songs that actually stick in your head, and you will want to listen to again. From the rousing opening title song to the penultimate showstopping, Let it Burn, there is hardly a just okay song in the entire score. Joaquina Kalukango's incredibly powerful performance of the latter not only brings audiences to their feet nightly but makes it clear why she was Tony-nominated for her starring role as Nelly Freeman owner of the Paradise Square Saloon. 

AJ Shively and Sydney Dupont in their roles of recent immigrant, Owen Duginan and escaped slave, Washington Henry respectively are equally deserving of their nominations for Best Featured Actor in a Musical, and their dancing is amazing. In fact all of the dancing in the show is incredible. The two distinct dance styles represented in the show blend seamlessly and create a beautiful picture. 

The show was nominated for seven other Tony awards as well including Best Musical. Despite this, the show is still extremely underrated and is definitely not getting the box office attention that it deserves. Nevertheless, the enthusiastic audience responses and nightly standing ovations clearly indicate that those who take a chance on this underappreciated musical clearly enjoy it. It is well worth a visit to the world of Paradise Square. 

For more information or to post tickets to Paradise Square, visit paradisesquaremusical.com/

And that's our view. Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits:

All Paradise Square production photos by Kevin Berne