Photo: Paradise Square
The new Broadway musical “Paradise Square” will officially begin performances on Tuesday, March 15 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street).
The show takes place in the Five Points neighborhood in New York City in 1863, where 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 two communities co-existed, intermarried, raised families, and shared their cultures in this unlikeliest of neighborhoods – until this racial equilibrium would come to a sharp and brutal end when President Lincoln’s instituted the first Federal Draft to support the Union Army.
The show will feature direction by Moisés Kaufman, choreography by Bill T. Jones, musical staging by Alex Sanchez, a book by Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan, music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare, and additional music by Mr. Kirwan, inspired in part by the songs of Stephen Foster.
The 40-member cast will be led by Joaquina Kalukango, Chilina Kennedy, John Dossett, Sidney DuPont, A.J. Shively, Nathaniel Stampley, Gabrielle McClinton, Jacob Fishel, Kevin Dennis and Matt Bogart.
For tickets and information, visit www.ticketmaster.com
Review: Sweeney Todd Makes the Cut
Where to Dine for Easter in New York
Ten Exciting New Dishes to Try in NYC Right Now