PARADISE SQUARE - Broadway Previews- Page 2

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 6:35pm

Moreski93 said: "Whoever gets to experience this masterpiece tonight or this week, can you keep us posted on the merch? Fingers crossed they have windowcards."


I’ll be there tomorrow night and will definitely report back! 

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 7:46pm

Updated On: 3/15/22 at 07:46 PM

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 7:49pm

Moreski93 said: "Whoever gets to experience this masterpiece tonight or this week, can you keep us posted on the merch? Fingers crossed they have windowcards."

I’m not sure if my photo posted, but they do have window cards! Full price list:

• Logo Tee $40
• Little Eden Tee $45
• Long-Sleeve Tee $55
• Hoodie $70
• Magnet $10
• Mug $20
• Socks $25
• Windowcard $20
• Tote Bag $30

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 8:05pm

Going on the 29th. The score samples available are lush, melodic, memorable on a first hearing. 

[multimattvids]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 9:34pm

At intermission, it’s good but it definitely needs some cuts. Act 1 began to really drag towards the end

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 10:32pm

I hope they took the time fix the issues that were CLEARLY issues in Chicago.  This is what I wrote in November - I look forward to hearing if these were addressed.   

"For a show that's all about how these various cultures came together to live happily, it's confusing that these various styles are presented mostly separate from each other.  We go back and forth between Irish step dancing, contemporary jazz a al West Side Story Dance at the Gym.  A new/unique combined shared sound and dance style born out of living life at Paradise Square would have been interesting - I think Bill T Jones tries to do this, but it just reads as hip hop/jazz.  To that point, I also found the modern and at times hip hop style dancing to be jarring, unlike in Hamilton where everything (including bare costumes) is conceptual, all characters are in detailed period attire, so seeing an adult male dressed in 1860 attire, twerking, is distracting.  For me, it seemed like the choreographer was working on a different show/concept.  

I also hope they take time to flesh out some of the songs/melodies. None of the songs (except for the title song) were memorable to me - I couldn't keep track of how many times the lead said Welcome Home at the end of Act 1, and Let it Burn at the end of Act 2 (though sung beautifully).  

At the beginning of the show, the lead says "we are going to tell this story on our own terms", and at the end she says something akin to "we were living in the future" - I think this idea gives them license to be more creative, to bend reality a bit, and find their "own" conceptual way of bring in hip-hop, R&B, Irish jigs, step dancing, etc. together in a cohesive/compelling way.  They just need to take it there.  For example, it would have been heartbreaking if they were all in modern clothes and after the fire destroys their "home", we find them back in their period costumes, as they recognize the world around them won't let them live life together, yet."

 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 11:08pm

Four new songs have been added since Chicago, including a new act closer. Anything to report?

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 11:27pm

My first time attending a first preview! Don’t have very detailed thoughts and I can’t comment on this vs Chicago but I did record approximate timing.

• Began ~8:10
• Intermission 9:30
• Act II 9:50
• Final Curtain 10:54

This is a really solid show. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but I did thoroughly enjoy it. Let It Burn was worth it all on its own, and received a well deserved standing ovation. (A few people stood after Heaven Save Our Home too). From the beginning all the individual parts were great imo, but it took most of Act I for me to feel like it all really came together and worked for me. The end of Act I and all of Act II I really enjoyed. The set was great, lots of good dancing, the music worked really well for me, I mostly enjoyed the story and thought all of the different character interactions were great. Honestly not enough to really take it all the way, but a really solid show.

Joaquina Kalukango was really amazing as advertised. Heaven Save Our Home and Let It Burn were the two biggest highlights for me. I don’t know if I’d quite put her above Sharon Clarke but she’s definitely up there in contention. This show also provides the wealth of featured actor contenders I’ve been waiting for to compete with Company! I wouldn’t mind seeing any of A.J. Shively, Sidney DuPont, and Nathaniel Stampley nominated.

As for the timeline of the dance contest, it doesn’t seem like they’ve changed it but maybe they’ve contextualized it more? It made sense to me. Owen won the contest but Washington had left already. He came in late and Nelly allowed him to enter late and since Owen had beaten everyone else, he and Washington now danced for the prize. A little nonsensical but that comes down to Nelly’s decision within the show more than the show itself.

Updated On: 3/16/22 at 11:27 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 11:32pm

Auggie27 said: "Four new songs have been added since Chicago, including a new act closer."

That's encouraging that they were able to do that, especially considering the short turnaround between Chicago and Bway.

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 11:37pm

Auggie27 said: "Four new songs have been added since Chicago, including a new act closer. Anything to report?"

Oh interesting, which songs are new? Here’s the song list in the playbill for anyone interested:

Updated On: 3/16/22 at 11:37 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/15/22 at 11:39pm

"Welcome Home" has been cut and replaced with "Heaven Save Our Home."

"Larry's Goodbye" has been replaced by "Since the Day That I Met You."

"True to a Country" has been replaced by "Tomorrow's Never Guaranteed."

Has "Oh Susanna" been cut, or is it just not listed?

A reprise of "I'm Coming" has been added to Act I, and a reprise of "Heaven Save Our Home" has been added right before "Let It Burn."

"Turn My Life Around" is new.

"Ring, Ring the Banjo" has been replaced by "Now or Never."

"One Match and One Man" has been cut. 

"Breathe Easy" is now sandwiched in between two parts of "No More."

 

Lots of changes indeed!

Updated On: 3/15/22 at 11:39 PM

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 12:12am

Either True To A Country was added back since the Playbills were printed or Tomorrow’s Never Guaranteed heavily used the phrase to the point where it’s the memorable part of the song.

I don’t remember anything that would’ve been called Oh Susanna but I don’t always have the best memory. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 12:16am

joshdog2014 said: "I don’t remember anything that would’ve been called Oh Susanna but I don’t always have the best memory."

Paradise Square features a few of Stephen Foster's compositions (see "Camptown Races", so "Oh Susanna" would most surely ring a bell if it was used. 

 

[Dan6]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 12:45am

I have tickets for late April and don't know the show other than the selected recording session videos that have been released, but based on those I thought "Welcome Home" was the showstopper, so I'm surprised it's been cut and am disappointed about not getting to see Joaquina Kalukango perform it live. For those who saw it in Chicago, are you surprised the song has been cut? For those who are seeing NY previews, is "Heaven Save Our Home" a worthy replacement?

[joshdog2014]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 1:12am

Dan6 said: "For those who are seeing NY previews, is "Heaven Save Our Home" a worthy replacement?"

At intermission it was my favorite song and it was only topped in Act II by Let It Burn. Multiple people stood for it at the end of Act I. (Clearly as an ovation, not just normal getting up at intermission)

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 1:18am

joshdog2014 said: "Dan6 said: "For those who are seeing NY previews, is "Heaven Save Our Home" a worthy replacement?"

At intermission it was my favorite song and it was only topped in Act II by Let It Burn. Multiple people stood for it at the end of Act I. (Clearly as an ovation, not just normal getting up at intermission)"

I'm glad to hear that because Welcome Home, while I can admit was not very lyrically complex, was such a beautiful song. 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 6:31am

I am so bummed to hear that "Welcome Home" has been replaced. That song was absolutely gorgeous.

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 10:06am

Echo pretty much everything already said here! I adored it. It's not perfect, runs a smidge longer— but given it's a first preview I have faith things will be trimmed down. It's already in really good shape and is only going to get stronger. Can't compare to Chicago though, as I didn't see it.

Re: the runtime. As others mentioned it definitely needs a few pacing revisions and, I thought book scenes began to drag a bit at the end of Act I even— things started blurring together and I was having trouble figuring out exactly what direction the show was going until Heaven Save Our Home began— which is an incredible closer. Some of the dance numbers even became a bit repetitive— but far from un-entertaining. Overall it's in great shape and it's such an endearing, heartwarming story. I just loved it. Excited to hear about how they keep working out the kinks.

Production wise, it's a really cool show— the set and lighting are shoe-ins for Tony nominations, probably even the costumes by virtue of those as well. It's just such a fun show to watch. Some small issues here and there, particularly did anyone there catch that bit in late Act II when the Bar begins to turn around as one piece, door facing downstage, and the set clipped itself in the middle where it splits in half? They had to hold the automation for a moment before they kept it going. It was loud, but kept moving along. Also, another thing I noticed— albeit a bit more spoilery:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

The scrim used as the show curtain comes back down for a scene in Act II before the riots, where Nellie comes out to talk directly to the audience. They do this cool effect where after having died, Willie is standing behind the other side of the scrim, mirroring her, almost giving him a ghost-like appearance. It was really neat— however, I could also see literally everything else going on as wel through the scrim— particularly, the light cues for the next scene that they preset upstage, an automation transition, and multiple stagehands coming to move things on/off. I hope they can figure out a way to keep that effect whilst also polishing that so everything else that needs to stay hidden, can.

Everything that needs to be said about Joaquina Kalukango has already been said. Obviousley it was a special performance anyways, but her Let It Burn grasped that audience like there was no tomorrow. Multiple applause breaks through the song and her standing ovation— which I'm curious to see if that continues into the spring ala Lauren Patten's regular ones she was pulling last season. She is Nellie O'Brien.

Loved it, and it's only going to get better. Do yourself a favor, grab even a lottery or rush ticket and see it while it's around. I won lottery and was seated Row F left orchestra, seat 15— missed most everything on the left-most side of the set but there isn't really anything actually happening on either winged/tower set pieces. Partial view for sure, but definitely didn't miss anything I would've otherwise liked/needed to see besides more automation and the like.

Updated On: 3/16/22 at 10:06 AM

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 10:06am

EDSOSLO858 said: 

“Larry’s Goodbye” has been replaced by “Since the Day I Met You”

This change happened during the first week in Chicago. “Larry’s Goodbye” appeared in the first Tuesday and Wednesday performances but was replaced with the better song on the first Thursday night.

What amazes me is that there was never an insert in the Playbill in Chicago to identify the song change during the 5-week tryout. 

Thank you EDSOSLO858 for the report.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 1:31pm

DiscoCrows, you've intrigued me. I have procured tickets.

Always fun to go into a preview having heard some people say they HATE it and some people say they LOVE it.

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 5:23pm

I have such mixed feelings about this one. Getting in was a bit of a nightmare with the line all the way to 48th and Broadway and the show didn’t start until about 2:25 and finished a little after 5. 
 

It feels like the kind of show where they build the whole thing around the 11:00 number. Let It Burn was very good.

I thought the dancing was thrilling and a few songs (such as Heaven Save Our Home) were great. Other highlights include Nathaniel Stampley, Chilina, the set, the orchestrations, and lighting. 
 

For me, the book was really lacking and it felt like there wasn’t much of a point of view until the end. Numbers tend to drag on past their expiration. I also didn’t buy AJ Shively  as the best Irish dancer of the bunch. The cast seemed quite tired, at least their voices did. 
 

A mixed bag for me. 

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 6:42pm

Saw the matinee today and thought it was pretty solid.
 
Heaven Save Our Home/Welcome Home is a Burn/First Burn situation to me. Both are wonderful songs, but I think Welcome Home is a bit stronger. However, Heaven Save Our Home seems to be a better fit. I think it works better for that song to be broader and about all the challenges facing Nelly and Paradise Square instead of just about Willie. 

The Choreography was fantastic, but I found that it tended to to over-choreographed. Breathe Easy was every bit as stunning as I had hoped it would be, but all that dancing just didn’t belong in that song and took away from how great it was. Same thing goes for the Reverend’s first prayer in the opening song. I was relieved that at least they let Heaven Save Our Home and Let It Burn stand for themselves. Turning them into dance numbers would have ruined them.

I found some of the dialogue to be a bit clunky, but nothing too bad. 
 
Joaquina was, of course, stunning, but I was thoroughly impressed with Chilina, Nathaniel, A.J., Sydney, and Gabrielle. I loved the relationships between Nelly and Annie and Annie and Samuel. 
 
I was also shocked by how terrible it was to get into this theatre. They made people picking up tickets wait in a will-call line and then get back into the regular line after they picked up their tickets instead of just letting them in. It was terrible and made for a very late start. 

Despite a few faults, I’m definitely wishing this show well! The performances and songs are worth the price I paid for sure!

Updated On: 3/16/22 at 06:42 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 7:09pm

Have just learned from IBDB that Graciela Daniele is no longer doing musical staging. It’s Alex Sánchez now. Wonder what happened…

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 10:31pm

I just got out of the show.

There is amazing work here. The choreography. The music. Performances all around from the cast. They tighten up the first act and this could be an award-winner. Very very powerful, so so good. 
 

I do believe one of the performers posted a picture on their Instagram story that tonight’s performance was sold out. I highly recommend seeing this show. 

[starcatchers]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 11:09pm

I’m planning to get tickets for this for next week…for those who have seen it, would you recommend orchestra or mezzanine (or does it not really matter)?