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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.
The amalgamation between the communities took its most exuberant form with raucous dance contests on the floors of the neighborhood bars and dance halls. It is here in the Five Points where tap dancing was born, as Irish step dancing joyously competed with Black American Juba.
But this racial equilibrium would come to a sharp and brutal end when President Lincoln’s need to institute the first Federal Draft to support the Union Army would incite the deadly NY Draft Riots of July 1863.
Within this galvanizing story of racial harmony undone by a country at war with itself, we meet the denizens of a local saloon called Paradise Square: the indomitable Black woman who owns it; her Irish-Catholic sister-in-law and her Black minister husband; a conflicted newly arrived Irish immigrant; a fearless freedom seeker; an anti-abolitionist political boss, and a penniless songwriter trying to capture it all. They have conflicting notions of what it means to be an American while living through one of the most tumultuous eras in our country’s history.
I was amazed by the display of talent from the dance, music, sets and costumes. The story line was the most powerful and timely as we continue to blend cultures and hopefully learn from the past. I would recommend this play just to see the broad spectrum of talent but to learn that we need to come together in society.
Timely - Powerful concept for a play! The beautiful story gets lost amid excessive self indulgence of dance numbers that are far to long and sidebar elements of the story that are thrown in as what feels like an afterthought. The lead vocals are bone chillingly good but stifled by the chaos of the storytelling.
The dancing was amazing. The singing was breathtaking. The storyline was engaging.
This is a potentially great story, told with energy and talent. It lifts up the possibility of community built across differences. It needs exciting choreography for the Black dancers to match the Juba rhythms. Better costuming could help us differentiate among the characters from the balcony. There are still awkward transition scenes to move the plot along (when the business men are on stage in both acts). The heart and courage of Nellie O'Brien comes through and offers hope delivered by a powerful voice. It ran too long, some reductions in musical numbers may need to be made.
Security was fantastic in getting IDs & vaccine cards checked & mobile ticketing was a breeze. Appreciated staff checking maskwearing. (The guy next to me paid no attention to them) The show was great. Joaquina Kalukango is a phenomenal singer. Chorus & dancers were amazing. Worth the trip!
Awesome performance! The singing, costuming and overall storyline was superb! I happened to be in Chicago opening week and was glad I had the opportunity to witness this must-see show.
I come to theater from a dance background and I LOVED all the dancing in this show! Bill T. Jones was briefly covered in my history of dance since 1900 class in college, although this was my first time seeing his work live. Like Hamilton, dance was interwoven through the musical, although it also was an integral part of the plot. It has Hamilton vibes as well with being a history-based show from another perspective. I got a last minute “surprise” upgrade at the theater to the far right of the main floor, and it made some of the text projected on the back wall in the second act impossible to fully read. I don’t think it was integral to understanding the show, but hopefully that gets modified for the Broadway transition. I hadn’t really heard any of the songs before going and it was pretty easy to still understand the lyrics. The sound mixing was good, so you could hear the taps clearly without it completely covering the rest. I’ve never heard such a long applause mid-show as I did for the female lead’s solo at the end of the second act. Only thing I could compare it to is Hamilton’s entrance. I’d 100% recommend!
Amazing and beautiful historical story. Gorgeous songs performed by the most talented actors on Broadway. The dancing was extraordinary and choreography incredible. You must see this show!
The process of verifying your vaccinations was quick. The musical was longer than expected, but was very well done and received. The story and the area of 5 points were new to me.
Interesting story, but thought it was trying to do to much tell too many stories, too busy! When a character tells a story in sing you need to hear it and understand, I thought a few times stories/words difficult to hear, was orchestra too loud or was the singer not able to convey the story. Scenery very well done, costume too! Some of the dance interpretations not very clear as to what movements were trying to convey. I do feel you have something there, needs tweaking and tightening up! Character development and relationships need to be stronger. I did enjoy the Paradise Square experience and cast energy WOW!
Despite an incredible cast and scenic design, failed to be as compelling as the subject matter warranted. Beautiful voices singing forget-able songs. Where is Stephen Sondheim when we need him?
Paradise Square is an amazing new show highlighting the period around the Civil War in the Five Points area of New York City. The play tells the story of the conflicts, but even more the story of a community that came together despite their differences. The music and lyrics are both clever and inspiring, and the dance and choreography support the story with their interpretation and make you want to jump up and dance with the intensity and talent of the dancers. The whole show was a wonderful experience.
I was thrilled to get to see this new show. It was fun with a lot of great dance numbers, but also really impactful in its message. We can learn a lot from those who are different from us and we can work together to overcome racial divisions. Very inspiring!
Got to go to opening night of the show, it was amazing! The story was a different side of a story that isn’t much heard of. The solo of the main actress toward the end of the 2nd Act literally had the crowd cheering and on their feet mid-show. Can translate things to current day as well. The actress that played Annie was phenomenal too. Great show. Loved being back in the theatre. Lucky that this came to Chicago first before going to Broadway.
