Paradise Square – 20 March 2022, 30 April 2022

Paradise Square presents a delightful slice of life of a cross section of the Civil War that is often brushed aside. In a small slum called “The Five Points”, poor White Irish immigrants intermingled with free Black people in a world where social class was a bigger barrier than skin color.

The collective humanity of the characters is wonderfully embellished by Jason Howland’s brilliant score, which draws on musical roots of both cultures, and allows the music moments that are distinctly Irish or distinctly African, as well as moments in which the cultures intertwine. The beauty of the show’s unapologetic slice of life framework is that the ensemble members are fully engaged in the scenes through dance and haunting vocal moments of melody and harmony, give and take, solos and shared space. The structure of Paradise Square is an integral part of the message and the meaning.

While many feel that Joaquina Kalukango’s eleven o’clock number “Let it Burn” was the show’s most incredible moment, I find myself drawn to the music of the riot, articulating the concept of “rich man’s fight, poor man’s war”. This moment was incredibly intellectually stimulating for me as an audience member, forcing me to consider methods of dissent, their relative effectiveness, and, most importantly, their questionable morality. I found myself chilled by Kalukango’s passionate act one plea of “Heaven Save Our Home”, a tour de force moment enumerating the show’s purpose—to give a voice to people who are forced to feel at home in places that want to force them to leave.

While a plot containing a dance competition is hardly a novelty in the musical theatre world, a plot that does not get consumed by it is a rare and beautiful thing. While each character had moments in the spotlight, the interconnectedness of their community pulsated through every word, every chord, every moment.

The abrupt halt of the show’s run was caused by lawsuits that, in a way, sharply intensify the purpose of telling a story like this—by design, those who work the hardest suffer the brunt of the fall for people in positions of power’s financial desires. This became haunting in that the alleged actions of some of the producers, if true, directly contradicted the intention of the product.

I felt irresistibly drawn to these characters, constantly striving for something better even when the hand they were dealt said it wasn’t in the cards. For me, it was especially impactful to see the concrete proof that this story is still playing out today, and, therefore, this story is more than just beautiful. It is necessary.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.