PARADISE SQUARE - Broadway Previews- Page 3

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/16/22 at 11:48pm

hearthemsing22 said: "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."

Don't ever read into that. Yes there may be "warm bodies" in the seats, but we don't know how much they paid (if they even paid). The show is up on TDF for every single performance until Opening Night, which is highly indicative of a show that isn't selling well –– yet. Stellar rave reviews and word of mouth could change that.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 12:03am

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "hearthemsing22 said: "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."

Don't ever read into that. Yes there may be "warm bodies" in the seats, but we don't know how much they paid (if they even paid). The show is up on TDF for every single performance until Opening Night, which is highly indicative of a show that isn't selling well –– yet. Stellar rave reviews and word of mouth could change that."

Fair enough, but honestly? With the show I saw tonight…if they tighten up the first act, they won’t need to-what is it called, “papering”? the show. It will sell out. Truly. 

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 12:12am

Last week, a friend sent me a screenshot showing it on a papering site for both shows today and tomorrow night.

[Shubert Alley Cat]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 12:13am

I sat Row M center orchestra and it was perfect.  Highly recommend.

[theatretenor2]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 12:50am

I enjoyed this production tonight, but didn't love it. Glad I didn't pay anything near full price. This show needs a lot of work. The material has so many moments that stall the show. It has moments and has so much potential, but there is way too much fat. I think it needs focus, and please cut one of the four "Why Should I Die in Springtime" numbers. It reminds me of how many Santa Fes were initially in Newsies at Paper Mill and how much tighter it felt with one cut.

I get that the show has great choreography, but there are too many moments of choreography that don't move the story along.

Joaquina is incredible and got roaring applause and a standing ovation during and at the end of the Let it Burn. Matt Bogart's role was surprisingly slim. The cast, for the most part, is great. Just hoping they can cut about 15 minutes and focus the show a bit more. There's a lot of redundancies, and I get reprises but this show has too many.

 

 

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 1:40am

I saw the show tonight as a last minute replacement for someone who was not feeling well. I had anticipated seeing it closer to or after opening. I agree with a lot of the comments I am reading here. I was glad I saw it and I liked it more than I expected but it is overloaded in almost every way. At this point, I am assuming that we are not going to see sufficient cutting to eliminate these observations. I could cut 30 minutes easily in a single rehearsal, without bothering to write anything down. Good songs go on too long, there are songs where they don't need to be, good choreography goes on too long, there is dance where there does not need to be, there are too many people on stage, there is too much scenery on stage, the scenery does too much, and so on. The fact that these excesses appear so broadly, I have to assume this is Garth's doing. Joaquina is amazing in every way and while there are quite a few other excellent performances, seeing hers is worth putting up with all of the shows dead time. It's like going to a long opera and tolerating what you have to to get to the diva's arias. 

Will it succeed? Maybe. The ante for this one is high, and it is gonna take a huge amount of positive WOM since there is not a lot of coin left for major ad buys. Right now the investment in a very low revenue first week is not going to pay off richly because the WOM is guarded. 

Regarding the problems with getting in at today's matinee that people mentioned (I did not have that problem tonight but we went in around 20 before curtain), that's a function of what was obviously a very  heavily comped show. Lots of industry tonight and lots of obviously papered people, at least some from the "tertiary" sources. If they start actually selling tickets, that problem will dissolve and if they don't, well, that problem will solve itself.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 2:22am

HogansHero said: "Regarding the problems with getting in at today's matinee that people mentioned (I did not have that problem tonight but we went in around 20 before curtain), that's a function of what was obviously a very heavily comped show. Lots of industry tonight and lots of obviously papered people, at least some from the "tertiary" sources. If they start actually selling tickets, that problem will dissolve and if they don't, well, that problem will solve itself."

I'm sorry, but no. This may have been a factor (more people needing to go to Will Call), but I don't see how that accounts for that mess. The two major problems that I, as someone who was there, observed were 1) they simply didn't open up the house early enough and 2) rather than having a vaccine and security check before will call and then letting people go in right after they picked up their tickets (like every other show I've been to), they didn't do that and had people get back in the singular super long vaccine and security line after they picked up tickets. 

[Mark_E]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 9:47am

Won the lottery for tomorrow night, in side Orchestra N 17/19

[Doug Giffin]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 9:59am

They sort of fixed the "Owen just danced" issue! :)

 

Also: I don't know why my posts have all this white space.

Updated On: 3/17/22 at 09:59 AM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 10:33am

jkcohen626 said: "I'm sorry, but no. This may have been a factor (more people needing to go to Will Call), but I don't see how that accounts for that mess. The two major problems that I, as someone who was there, observed were 1) they simply didn't open up the house early enough and 2) rather than having a vaccine and security check before will call and then letting people go in right after they picked up their tickets (like every other show I've been to), they didn't do that and had people get back in the singular super long vaccine and security line after they picked up tickets."

One fundamental truth in the theatre is that there is rarely only one factor affecting anything. If the house did not "early enough" that was almost undoubtedly because house management was not given the house by stage management. At a 2nd preview, that is not surprising; there are things that have to be worked out. Not fun for those in line but a fact of life. Regarding the flow you suggest from the box office, that would be unworkable. First, I suspect a lot of those people were picking up tix before half hour because I suspect they were from sources where they could not be independently distributed. Second, I don't see how that would have ameliorated the line. The bottom line is that there are only a few gauntlets possible and the holdup never seems to be the vax check. I understand you being digruntled but it was just one of those combination of forces that happens sometimes. FWIW it did not repeat last night. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 10:40am

For what it's worth -- but at this point anecdotal evidence counts -- I've been to the re-opened theater in NYC eleven times since 9/14/21 and never found the vax check to be a hold-up. The slowest, Morning's at Seven off-b'way at St. Clements, a difficult venue to manage, caused the most challenges (requiring stickers on hands, etc), but the curtain was not held.  I have consistently argued that the vax requirements are not handicapping the theater.   

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 10:52am

Non-scientific observations, but in the vax-checking, era Shubert houses generally tend to be better with the line flow and getting in the door than Nederlander houses. I don't know if it's more staff or if these are just coincidences. But with Paradise Square, we're talking about a Shubert house.

And yes, heavily comped/TDF houses with a lot of seats at the box office DOES impact the time it takes to get into the house. Remember the Actors Fund Spring Awakening that began like an hour late because almost all the seats were held at box office? That plus a delayed house-opening can create headaches for everyone on the FOH, box office, and Covid safety teams.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 11:06am

Overstuffing seems to be a common trend of Garth Drabinsky shows. RAGTIME could easily lose 20 minutes by cutting the Henry Ford song, Houdini, baseball sequence, some of the Atlantic City sequence, and even (gasp) some of Evelyn Nesbit's part. Garth of course isn't solely to blame for that, and those are all moments of levity in a serious musical. There are things in his SHOW BOAT that could have been trimmed too.

The preview period is so short (critics will have to start attending 2 weeks from today) and starting next week the shows are at 7pm, which means a shorter rehearsal day before the show. Cuts could even start going in today and tomorrow if they're identified in this week's rehearsals. They'll need to have a near-frozen show by  Weds the 30th in order for the cast to get two good runthroughs in front of an audience before critics come in.

Do we know who is now doing the actual bookwriter job? There are so many people credited. I assume Jason Howland (who is also the Music Supervisor) is handling the Composer role now.

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 2:46pm

HogansHero said: "
One fundamental truth in the theatre is that there is rarely only one factor affecting anything. If the house did not "early enough" that was almost undoubtedly because house management was not given the house by stage management. At a 2nd preview, that is not surprising; there are things that have to be worked out. Not fun for those in line but a fact of life. Regarding the flow you suggest from the box office, that would be unworkable. First, I suspect a lot of those people were picking up tix before half hour because I suspect they were from sources where they could not be independently distributed. Second, I don't see how that would have ameliorated the line. The bottom line is that there are only a few gauntlets possible and the holdup never seems to be the vax check. I understand you being digruntled but it was just one of those combination of forces that happens sometimes. FWIW it did not repeat last night."

I'm really sorry, I'm trying to be respectful, but I really don't understand what you're missing here. 

Yesterday the flow for will call people was:

1. Wait in the will call line
2. Pick up tickets
3. walk as far as Broadway and 48th to get into the vaccine/security line
4. wait in that very long line
5. check vaccine and go through security
6. Enter theatre

The flow whenever I've had to do will call at other theatres was:

1. Wait in a vaccine/security line (often a unique one for people needing to pick up tickets)
2. check vaccine and go through security
3. pick up tickets
4. enter theatre

While step 1 probably takes a bit longer in option 2 than option 1, cutting out steps 3 and 4 from option 1 would objectively make it a quicker process for everyone. 

I wasn't disgruntled at all, I didn't have to wait in 2 different lines because my ticket was on my phone and I expected a late start. I also understand that it's a combination of many factors and I'm sure your suggestion is part of that. I'm also very glad to hear they sorted it out. I just wanted to make sure you understood what I was trying to say! I hope it didn't come across as mean or anything like that!

Updated On: 3/17/22 at 02:46 PM

[HogansHero]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 11:04pm

jkcohen626 said: "I just wanted to make sure you understood what I was trying to say! I hope it didn't come across as mean or anything like that!"

I completely understand what you were saying, and it never occurred to me that you were being mean or anything. I think we have differing perspectives on the logistics of getting a thousand bodies through essentially two doors. What you witnessed was the perfect storm of a VERY high percentage of will calls and a house that does not open until 20 minutes. Where, in your scenario, are you going to stow the 200 people who have hit the box office by half hour when the house does not open until 20 minutes (not to mention that the 200 becomes 300)? In the lobby of the Barrymore which is smaller than my apartment? Maybe you get my point, at least a little.

I stand by my assertion that the root of the problem was the delayed opening of the house, not the vax check. 

[kwoc91]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 11:34pm

Just got home from tonight’s show. I have a lot of thoughts about it but for now I will just say JOAQUINA!!! Standing ovation after Let It Burn. A powerhouse performance. 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/17/22 at 11:47pm

Saw the show tonight. 

I can see why some people love this, and I can see why some people hate it. I fell somewhere in between. 

The book feels really bloated and stodgy; too many characters being juggled over too many plot-lines. Some other musicals have pulled it off, but I don’t think this one does. It’s not very well-paced, the character based plot lines felt forced and half-formed, while the characters themselves were pretty bland. Quite honestly I had trouble investing in any one of them. And it makes the show SO long, and I really felt the length. 

I thought the show was at its best when it had a broad focus; the ensemble numbers, the community scenes, the historical stuff, dealing with the war, the social tensions, the cultural appropriation, the significance of the dance contest, etc. It was very good at bringing to life a specific time and place. 

I found the music kind of bland from a compositional standpoint, but I appreciated the musical storytelling; the deliberate mixing of different styles, the way it was used to heighten the drama, and the emotion of particular moments, to bring the communities together, or show them apart, etc. 

And the choreography is ridiculously good!! Bill T. Jones is doing wonders to keep this show afloat. Whatever he’s being paid, it should be more (god I hope these people are getting paid at all). 

The chorus is also really strong; they’re doing a lot to fill out the world, bring it to life, make it feel populated by living, breathing people. Again, they’re a huge part of what makes this show work. 

I thought the principal ensemble was…fine. Some of the acting was too cartoonish, and the rest of it ranged from decent to solid.

I really don’t want to diminish Joaquina Kulakango’s work, because she’s genuinely quite good. But from the way people on this board talk about her performance, I thought I was about to witness a next-level-brilliant, powerhouse performance for the ages. And I just didn’t see that here. It was the sort of performance I can imagine being just as good from a replacement or understudy - and that’s not a dig at her, or the understudies. I just didn’t see that unmissable, irreplaceable X factor that other people see. I don't understand the mid-show standing O, or the people claiming she has a shot at the Tony over Clarke, Lenk, Winningham, Cusack, etc. None of this is her fault, it’s just that my expectations were sky high. A good performance, just way overhyped IMO.

Incidentally - if I had been in charge of developing/conceiving this show, I would’ve made it more of a song-cycle - or rather, a kind of hybrid song-cycle + loosely structured, sung-through musical. It would’ve been 90-minutes, and taken place all in one night in the saloon; we get a sense of the time and place, the significance of the community, etc.. The themes could be communicated through music and dance, as we watch the different communities interact with each other with the war looming outside. We could even get a sense of the different figures in the community, their backgrounds and relationships to each other, but it would be more like loose vignettes that flow from one to the next. You could even keep many of the same plot points, while keeping it more centralized and compact. 
 

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 12:23am

Completely agree re: Joaquina. Thought I was the only one who felt that way. She’s good and she’s great in her two numbers but that’s all she does in the show. Also, some parts of her vocal range sound absolutely incredible while other parts don’t sound quite as strong. 

[DiscoCrows]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 12:25am

JBroadway said: (god I hope these people are getting paid at all)

*cough cough* you can say that again...

Thanks for the thorough, contrasting analysis. It's almost 1am and I am exhausted— no lengthy response here. But I loved everything you had to say.

[Alessio2]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 12:26am

I know there is already a discount threat, but does anyone have a code for performances after April 3?? greatly appreaciated!

[kwoc91]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 8:48am

I'm very tired this morning but here are some more thoughts I have about the show...

It's been said many times already but this show is way too bloated. It tries to do so much with so many characters. The pacing often grinds to a screeching halt when minor characters get entire musical numbers explaining their backstories. I've sat through other 3 hour shows that did not feel this cumbersome. After the show, most conversations I overheard were about the length of the show. A few people around me left at intermission.

As I mentioned in my post from last night, I'm one of the folks who was blown away by Joaquina Kalukango's performance. I don't think it's the best I've seen this season but I think it 100% deserves a nomination. The rest of the cast was fine - Sidney DuPont really gives it his all but I couldn't get over how awful I thought the Washington Henry character was written.

The choreography is fantastic. Definitely a highlight, and there's plenty of it. I also enjoyed the music and do hope they release a cast recording. I thought the lighting was a standout as well.

Am I glad I saw it? Yes. Will I see it again? No, unless I read reports of significant trimming before opening night.

 

[Smaxie]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 9:46am

Though it's a work of fiction, the events in Paradise Square are all rooted in historical fact. There's an excellent book, Five Points: The 19th-Century New York City Neighborhood That Invented Tap Dance, Stole Elections, and Became the World's Most Notorious Slum by Tyler Anbinder that must have had an influence as the show developed. Black & Irish relationships and marriages, the dance challenges, New York City's pro-Southern, anti-abolitionist political elite, the Underground Railroad and the burst of white nationalism fueled by northern migration and the Federal Draft that would lead to the Draft Riots are all key factors of what happened in that neighborhood in this moment in time and the story the authors are clearly interested in telling here. 

This recent piece in Irish America Magazine really details the history that is being depicted for anyone who wants to get more of a handle on the show's complexities.

Irish America Magazine - Paradise Square

[dramamama611]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 10:42am

Question: Is Joaquina Kalukango worth seeing the show for?  I'm not a fan of Drabinsky and many of the criticisms here certainly point to a show I will not enjoy.   IS her performance enough to sit through the rest? 

[JBroadway]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 11:10am

dramamama611 said: "Question: IsJoaquina Kalukango worth seeing the show for? I'm not a fan of Drabinsky and many of the criticisms here certainly point to a show I will not enjoy. IS her performance enough to sit through the rest?"

It's hard to say because I seem to be in the minority here, but I would say no. I'm actually glad I saw the show because I enjoyed it more than I expected, and I definitely don't think it's the trainwreck some have made it out to be. But if you're asking whether it's worth it for Kulakango if she's your ONLY reason? I personally don't think so.

I expected a shattering powerhouse performance on par with Cynthia Erivo in "Color Purple," Katrina Lenk in "Band's Visit," Michael Cerveris in "Fun Home" etc. 

What I saw, IMO, was closer in quality and significance to...I don't know...maybe Hailey Kilgore in "Once on this Island"? Brian d'Arcy James in "Something Rotten"? Eva Noblezada in "Hadestown"? Stark Sanks in "Kinky Boots"?

Like, a solid leading performance that hits the right notes, meets the demands of the material, and deserves a Tony nomination. But I wouldn't go further than that. 

But again, I'm obviously in the minority. 

Updated On: 3/18/22 at 11:10 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 3/18/22 at 11:29am

Alessio2 said: "I know there is already a discount threat, but does anyone have a code for performances after April 3?? greatly appreaciated!"

It doesn't appear they are discounting after opening –– yet. They probably should be, since sales aren't likely to jump THAT significantly that quickly post-opening unless the reviews are flat-out raves.