‘PARADISE SQUARE’: The cast. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

PARADISE SQUARE
Book by Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan
Music by Jason Howland
Lyrics by Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare
Choreography by Bill T. Jones
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 West 47th Street
(212-239-6200), www.ParadiseSquareMusical.com

By David NouNou

It’s certainly not the lack of a good storyline that plagues Paradise Square. It has a riveting and compelling story, but the book hammers and repeats itself again and again. In case you missed it in the book, the score will hammer it some more, and if you still missed it, the repetitive choreography will tap, stomp and body slap the message home.

Paradise Square is a fictionalized historical version set in the Five Points area in Lower Manhattan and the events leading up to the violent Draft Riots of 1863 that started as immigrant protests against the Civil War draft, but then turned to violent attacks against the Blacks. As I mentioned earlier, it is a complex and riveting tale, but it is presented quite heavy-handedly.

Nelly Freeman O’Brien (Joaquina Kalukango) is a Black owner of a saloon—left to her by her father who was a slave—in the Five Points. Nelly is married to a white military Irishman, Willy O’Brien (Matt Bogart) who helps her run the saloon until he is drafted. Matt’s sister Annie Lewis (Chilina Kennedy) is married to Reverend Samuel Jacob Lewis (Nathaniel Stampley), Nelly’s brother. The four share the duties to run the saloon. The saloon is open to all immigrants, people of all races down on their luck and even prostitutes. Nelly is the leader of Five Points and a mother figure that makes sure everyone is welcome.

Reverend Samuel takes in a runaway slave and changes his name to Washington Henry (Sidney DuPont), a man who allegedly killed his master in Tennessee. The reverend keeps Washington hidden to protect him. Add to the mix Annie Lewis’ nephew from Ireland, Owen Duignan (A. J. Shively), a recent immigrant who also needs lodging. Washington and Owen end up dancing in the saloon to pay for their stay. Of course, in every Garden of Eden, there is a snake; here, he is a boss man and elected official, Frederic Tiggens (John Dossett). He is the man that will blow Paradise Square by destroying the bond between the Blacks and the Irish.

There is a lot to digest here, but the story isn’t as convoluted as it sounds once you get to meet the characters. It’s that their tale is repeated again and again through the book, score and dance numbers. The book meanders, the score is unmemorable, and Bill T. Jones delivers some excellent dance steps, but they keep recurring with every song and it gets monotonous after the fifth round. Moises Kaufman’s direction doesn’t add much but moves characters from one end of the stage to the other, and from upstage to downstage and reverse.

However, all is not lost. The incandescent, dynamic powerhouse Joaquina Kalukango blows the roof off the theatre with her soaring voice and heartbreaking, gutsy performance. She has a lovely opening number entitled “Paradise Square,” and her final song “Let It Burn” is theatrical history in the making. Her emotion-packed delivery of the song thrills the audience and they erupt with thunderous applause. Last year, she was nominated for a Tony for Slave Play. This year, she has to be the shoe-in to win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published May 4, 2022
Reviewed at May 3, 2022 performance.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: (left to right) Joaquina Kalukango, Nathaniel Stampley, Chilina Kennedy & the cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango & Matt Bogart. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Ellis Quinn, Chloe Davis & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Sidney DuPont & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Chilina Kennedy & Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: A.J. Shively. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Colin Barkell & Garrett Coleman. Photo: Julieta Cervantes.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Nathaniel Stampley & Chilina Kennedy. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Joaquina Kalukango. Photo: Kevin Berne.

‘PARADISE SQUARE’: Kevin Dennis, John Dossett (5th & 6th from left), A.J. Shively (6th from right) & cast. Photo: Kevin Berne.

Video clips from Paradise Square

The post ‘Paradise Square’: Blacks & Irish in 1863 NYC appeared first on StageZine.

‘TORCH SONG’: Ward Horton & Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

TORCH SONG
Written by Harvey Fierstein
Directed by Moises Kaufman
Through February 24, 2019
The Helen Hayes Theater
240 West 44th Street
(212-239-6200),www.torchsongbroadway.com

By David NouNou

The original gay fantasia—set in the early 1970s and 1980s and every gay Jewish boy’s dream of being able to have the gorgeous hunk WASP lover and living happily ever after—is back. But as we all well know, that fantasy is not always the case even if we attain the unattainable. Originally known as Torch Song Trilogy, Harvey Fierstein wrote a play with a tailor-made role for himself. It was first produced Off-Off-Broadway, then moved to Off-Broadway at the Actors’ Playhouse, and finally came to Broadway in 1982 at the Little Theater, now the Helen Hayes, where it has landed in a most triumphant revival. Torch Song has come back home to its original theater with a shorter title and all the humor and pathos that made it a groundbreaking gay classic.

Upon second viewing what stands out the most is how pertinent and relevant the subject matter is now, even more so than it was in 1982. Back then, it had a certain voyeurism to gay culture and was titillating to see gay life explored so openly.

Act I entitled “International Stud” is set in a real backroom bar that existed in the ‘70s and ‘80s. We meet Arnold Beckoff or Virginia Hamm (Michael Urie), that being his drag name and a torch singer living in New York City. He encounters Ed (Ward Horton), the unattainable bisexual stud at the bar. He leaves with Ed and his real problems begin.

Act II, entitled “Fugue in a Nursery,” takes place three years later, 1974. Ed is with Laurel (Roxanna Hope Radja) and Arnold is invited by Laurel for a weekend in the country. Arnold is now with a former hustler, now model Alan (Michael Hsu Rosen). Needless to say, all that ensues is a kind of mixed doubles.

Act III “Widows and Children First” is the money-shot act and the most solid of all. It is now 1980 and we get to meet Mrs. Beckoff (Mercedes Ruehl), the role that was originated by Estelle Getty. It is here that we discover how the proverbial apple does not fall far from the tree. We learn about Arnold adopting an orphan, David (Jack DiFalco), and we find out that Ed has left his wife and is staying with Arnold. Most important is the battle royal that ensues between mother and son. Both have lost loved ones and both deal with their losses in different ways. Both demand love and respect on their own terms.

The third act shows how ahead of its time Torch Song really was. What we take for reasonable expectations now of having unattainable relationships and marriage, a family, and respect from loved ones was really once a fantasy. Although we have come a long way, certain dogmas remain constant.

Michael Urie has made the role of Arnold Beckoff his own. He has placed his own stamp and his own original contemporary take on Arnold. Mercedes Ruehl as his mother is electrifying. Their blow-up with each other is theater magic. Moises Kaufman’s direction gives the proceedings a feel of the present, although they are set in the not-so-distant past. The one flaw in this otherwise flawless revival is the casting of Jack DiFalco as the son David (who is supposed to be a 16-year-old teenager). This is the role that introduced the public to a young Matthew Broderick and later to Fisher Stevens; they were teenagers, Mr. DiFalco now is David. He is not a teen and does not even look like one. The head-scratcher here is didn’t anyone in casting or the production team see this as an obstacle? Regardless, Torch Song still holds up more than 36 years later as an epic of LGBTQ life that has a lot to say about sexuality, family, gender roles, love and acceptance to a new generation.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published November 5, 2018
Reviewed at November 4, 2018 press performance.

‘TORCH SONG’: Mercedes Ruehl & Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: (left to right) Roxanna Hope Radja, Ward Horton, Michael Urie & Michael Hsu Rosen. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Jack DiFalco & Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Michael Urie & Jack DiFalco. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Mercedes Ruehl. Photo: Matthew Murphy

‘TORCH SONG’: Michael Urie. Photo: Matthew Murphy

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