Joaquina Kalukango to Lead Paradise Square on Broadway; Dates & Casting Set

The new musical Paradise Square, which, as previously reported, will play Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre from November 2 through December 5, is officially Broadway-bound. Performances will begin at the Barrymore Theatre on February 22, 2022 with an opening night set for March 20. Director Moisés Kaufman and choreographer Bill T. Jones will return to the show, which was conceived by Larry Kirwan.

Paradise Square will star Slave Play Tony nominee Joaquina Kalukango, Chilina Kennedy, John Dossett, Sidney DuPont, A.J. Shively, Nathaniel Stampley, Gabrielle McClinton, Jacob Fishel and Kevin Dennis.

The production will also feature Karen Burthwright, Kennedy Caughell, Dwayne Clark, Garrett Coleman, Colin Cunliffe, Chloe Davis, Bernard Dotson, Jamal Christopher Douglas, Sam Edgerly, Shiloh Goodin, Jacobi Hall, Sean Jenness, Jay McKenzie, Ben Michael, Jason Oremus, Eilis Quinn, Sara Sheperd, Lael van Keuren, Sir Brock Warren and Hailee Kaleem Wright. Additional casting will be announced later.

Within this galvanizing story of racial harmony undone by a country at war with itself, audiences will meet the denizens of a local saloon called Paradise Square in this show. They include Nelly Freeman (Kalukango), the indomitable Black woman who owns it; Annie O’Brien (Kennedy), her Irish-Catholic sister-in-law and her Black minister husband, Rev. Samuel Jacob Lewis (Stampley); Owen Duignan (Shively), a conflicted newly arrived Irish immigrant; Washington Henry (DuPont), a fearless freedom seeker; Frederic Tiggens (Dossett), an anti-abolitionist political boss, and Milton Moore (Fishel), 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.

Paradise Square features a book co-written by Craig Lucas, Marcus Gardley, Christina Anderson and Kirwan. The music is by Jason Howland and Kirwan, with lyrics by Nathan Tysen and additional material by Masi Asare. Graciela Daniele provides the musical staging, in collaboration with Kaufman and Jones.

The creative team includes scenic designer Allen Moyer, costume designer Toni-Leslie James, lighting designer Donald Holder, sound designer Jon Weston, hair and wig designer Matthew B. Armentrout, associate choreographers Talli Jackson and Gelan Lambert and projection designer Wendall K. Harrington with special effects by Gregory Meeh. Irish and Hammerstep choreography is by Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus.

The world premiere of Paradise Square was produced in January 2019 by Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The musical is based on Hard Times, conceived by Kirwan, which was originally presented off-Broadway in 2012.  The musical is being produced on Broadway by Tony winner Garth Drabinsky.