Paradise Square begins previews March 15 at Broadway's Ethel Barrymore Theatre, before officially opening April 3. The show is directed by Moisés Kaufman with choreography by Tony winner Bill T. Jones.
The 40-member cast is led by Tony nominee Joaquina Kalukango (Slave Play), Chilina Kennedy (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Tony nominee John Dossett (Gypsy), Matt Bogart (Smokey Joe’s Café), Kevin Dennis (Assassins), Nathaniel Stampley (Porgy & Bess), A.J. Shively (Bright Star), Sidney DuPont (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Gabrielle McClinton (Pippin), and Jacob Fishel (Fiddler on the Roof).
The work has been conceived by Black 47 frontman Larry Kirwan and is inspired in part by the songs of Stephen Foster. Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas, and Kirwan have penned the musical's book to a score with music by Jason Howland, lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare, and additional music by Kirwan. The work takes place during the Civil War, telling the story of Irish immigrants and Black Americans sharing their rich cultures.
The cast also includes Colin Barkell, Karen Burthwright, Kennedy Caughell, Dwayne Clark, Garrett Coleman, Colin Cunliffe, Chloe Davis, John Davis, Bernard Dotson, Jamal Christopher Douglass, Sam Edgerly, Shiloh Goodin, Sean Jenness, Joshua Keith, Jay McKenzie, Ben Michael, Kayla Pecchioni, Elis Quinn, Lee Siegel, Erica Spyres, Lael Van Keuren, Brock Warren, and Hailee Kaleem Wright. Aisha Jackson is Kalukango's standby, and understudies includes Eric Craig, Josh Davis, Alan Wiggins, and Camille Eanga-Selegne. Conor Coleman and Kristen Beth Williams round out the company as swings.
Paradise Square features musical staging by Alex Sanchez; music supervision, direction, and orchestrations by Howland; 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; special effects by Gregory Meeh; hair and wig design by Matthew B. Armentrout, arrangements by Howland and Larry Kirwan; dramaturgy by Thulani Davis and Sydné Mahone; and Irish and Hammerstep choreography by Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus. Karyn Meek is production stage manager, and casting is by Stewart/Whitley.
Tony winner Garth H. Drabinsky produces, in association with Peter LeDonne, Jeffrey A. Sine, Matthew C. Blank, Joe Crowley, RSR Finance LLC, Hunter & Mariana Milborne, Len Blavatnik, Joseph Coffey, Sherry Wright & Craig Haffner, Bernard Abrams, James Scrivanich, Rick Chad, Arthur M. Kraus, Broadway & Beyond Theatricals, Brian Luborsky, Gilbert & Elsa Palter, The Shubert Organization, Terry Schnuck, Urban One Inc., Robert Wolf, Richard Stursberg, Mark W. Everson, Sanjay Govil, Jeremiah J. Harris, Amabel James, Sheila C. Johnson, Dennis Mehiel, Louise H. & John G. Beard, Henry R. Muñoz III & Kyle Ferrari Muñoz, Walter Swett, Zachary Florence, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, which hosted the work's world premiere in 2019. Anne Allan is associate producer and resident director.
For more information, visit ParadiseSquareMusical.com.
