Paradise Square at:the James M. Nederlander Theatre
Looks like this event has already taken place.
Tue, Nov 02 – Sun, Dec 05, 2021
24 W. Randolph St., Chicago, IL 60603
Paradise Square, A New Musical, to play Pre-Broadway engagement at Chicago’s James M. Nederlander Theatre.
New York City. 1863. The Civil War raged on. An extraordinary thing occurred amid the dangerous streets and crumbling tenement houses of the Five Points, the notorious 19th-century Lower Manhattan slum. Irish immigrants escaping the devastation of the Great Famine settled alongside free-born Black Americans and those who escaped slavery, arriving by means of the Underground Railroad. The Irish, relegated at that time to the lowest rung of America’s social status, received a sympathetic welcome from their Black neighbors (who enjoyed only slightly better treatment in the burgeoning industrial-era city). The two communities co-existed, intermarried, raised families, and shared their cultures in this unlikeliest of neighborhoods.
The amalgamation between the communities took its most exuberant form with raucous dance contests on the floors of the neighborhood bars and dance halls. It is here in the Five Points where tap dancing was born, as Irish step dancing joyously competed with Black American Juba.
But this racial equilibrium would come to a sharp and brutal end when President Lincoln’s need to institute the first Federal Draft to support the Union Army would incite the deadly NY Draft Riots of July 1863.
Within this galvanizing story of racial harmony undone by a country at war with itself, we meet the denizens of a local saloon called Paradise Square: the indomitable Black woman who owns it; her Irish-Catholic sister-in-law and her Black minister husband; a conflicted newly arrived Irish immigrant; a fearless freedom seeker; an anti-abolitionist political boss, and 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.
How to find us?
Places to stay nearby...
Cambria Hotel Chicago Loop
Chicago
Indulge in modern elegance and unmatched comfort at our charming hotel in Chicago Loop, boasting spacious accommodations and exceptional amenities.
Read more about Cambria Hotel Chicago Loop
Spa at the Wit
Chicago
Relax and recharge with luxurious spa treatments
Read more about Spa at the WitYou might also be interested...
McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
Millennium Park • Nov 15 – Feb 02
Ice Skate in Downtown Chicago
Read more about McCormick Tribune Ice Rink
Millennium Park Ice Skating
Nov 15 – Feb 02
Come experience a classic Chicago winter tradition. Each November, the city is filled with an array of charming ice rinks that pop up all across the…
Read more about Millennium Park Ice Skating
Chicago Restaurant Week
Jan 24 – Feb 09
Welcome to the 18th annual Chicago Restaurant Week! This 17-day celebration of the city’s award-winning culinary scene includes over 470 restaurants across the city.
Read more about Chicago Restaurant Week