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In everything “Paradise Square” true. Nothing in “Paradise Square” is true.
Yup, date shows In 1863, after Abraham Lincoln expanded the Civil War draft to include all white men between the ages of 25 and 45 – black men were excluded because they were not considered citizens – gangs of disgruntled Irish Americans revolted in New York City against Black people, burning buildings and fighting their way. killing many people.
It is true that some Black and Irish neighbors living together in relative harmony in the impoverished, piano-shaped neighborhood of downtown Manhattan called Five Points joined forces to resist the gangs.
But by making these large-scale events individual stories and manipulating them to sing at their loudest and dance almost non-stop, is the uplifting, stellar, extravagant new musical that kicks off at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Sunday. turns history upside down. Racism becomes an individual character flaw rather than a systemic evil; resistance, the reclusive moral genius of a hero.
In this case, the heroine is Nelly O’Brien, or indeed Joaquina Kalukangoplaying with enough courage, stamina, and vocal bravura to make him believe in a character glued together from the shavings of history. Nelly owns a (fictional) Five Points bar and brothel called Paradise Square: “a little Eden,” as one of Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare’s bald lyrics puts it in the title song, “We love whoever we want. to love/not apologize.”
Indeed, Nelly is married to Irish-American Willie O’Brien (Matt Bogart, aptly circled). His sister (and Nelly’s best friend), Annie Lewis (Chilina Kennedy, absurdly violent), is married to Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley), a Black minister. When Annie’s nephew Owen (AJ Shively) arrived from Ireland, around the same time Samuel, a stationmaster on the Underground Railroad, brought Washington Henry (Sidney DuPont) to Paradise Square on his way from Tennessee to Canada, it seemed like a common thing. begins to appear. room house for provocative plot points.
Most of the characters – and there are 10 main roles – look more like people than ideas in human masks. Willie’s warmate Mike Quinlan (Kevin Dennis) represents unemployed Irish workers easily led by demagogic politicians. A white pianist and composer (Jacob Fishel) who turns Plantation tunes into out-of-town hits represents the problem of cultural appropriation in a somewhat anachronistic way – but the re-appropriation of some Stephen Foster songs like “Camptown Races” in Jason Howland’s music is a nice touch. .
Another Foster song – “Oh! Susanna” – gets an even more interesting overhaul by slyly tying Frederic Tiggens, the show’s all-purpose villain who supports the Irish rebellion, to racist Southern tropes. (Foster’s melody resets with the words, “You were loyal to a country that didn’t stay loyal to you.”) Unfortunately, none of Tiggens’ dialogue is this nuanced; An ambiguously defined “uptown party boss” determined to cover up the “immorality” of places like Paradise Square leaves actor John Dossett little to do but figuratively twirl his mustache.
If most of the score suffers from a mild case of exaggeration—while whipping up a series of generic rock ballads and throat-rending anthems—the book and staging suffer from it. full-blown emphasis. The book, attributed to Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan, is particularly problematic. Based on Kirwan’s musical play “hard times”and it seems like he’s been getting everything down to the bare essentials as he tries to build a sensitivity checklist alongside lots of characters, heavily rewritten over the course of nine years of development.
I’m as a sucker as the next critic of liberal religiosities and appreciate the stance of a black lives-centered musical, towards the end of the protagonist, “We’re telling you this story on our own terms. But strong stances don’t make up for poor characterization or show why such strength is necessary. It is morally good but theatrically boring that the position of Irish and other white immigrants is not dramatized as effectively as that of Black characters.
In this combination, I feel your meaty hand producer Garth H. DrabinskyHe seems to have used his influence to turn “Paradise Square” into a replica of his previous hits. Like the revival of “Ragtime” in 1998 and “Show Boat” in 1994, it frames social unrest as the product of a few representative individuals and seeks to fill the inevitable gaps with great sound and stage mastery. He also borrows a famous conspiracy tool from “Show Boat,” which is effective here even if the debt is not otherwise paid.
However, unlike musicals that are built around the frameworks of novels strongly written by authors with singular voices, “Paradise Square” feels almost authorless despite its many contributions, and the direction of Moisés Kaufman, known for his strong hand and conceptual consistency, makes it feel that way. little to erase the impression of anonymity. (The design elements are likewise only productive.) Contingent and anxious, the show seems more concerned with saying the right things than telling a coherent story.
Hold on – I take this back: It tells a coherent story in two ways. In dance, which uses an ever-changing clash of contextual styles, including one, tap dancing for Irish characters and Juba for Blacks, it is where appropriation and joyful sharing meet, much more subtly than the book. (Although unlikely as a plot, the dance between Owen and Washington is an emotional high point.) Again, many hands are at work here, with Bill T. Jones heading a musical props team of at least five other choreographers, but the result is scores effectively.
The other source of coherence in “Paradise Square” is Kalukango, which somehow alchemicalizes it. notable challenges of the role makes it incredible in a good way, not a bad way. Having seen her previously as Cleopatra in “Antony and Cleopatra”, Nettie in “The Color Purple” and Kaneisha in “Slave Play” I wasn’t exactly surprised, but they were more successful writings. Nothing really prepares you for the moment when an actor brings everything he has onto the stage and essentially writes down what needs to be said while you watch. Makes you believe in making history.
Paradise Square
at the Ethel Barrymore Theater in Manhattan; heavensquaremusical.com. Working time: 2 hours 40 minutes.
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