The new Broadway musical Paradise Square will produce an original Broadway cast recording, it was announced today. The cast and Broadway orchestra are gathering at Power Station at BerkleeNYC for four days of sessions during the weeks of April 18 and April 25. The recording will receive a digital release in May and a physical release this summer.
The recording will be produced by Jason Howland and Billy Jay Stein, who won the 2015 Grammy Award for the Original Broadway Cast Recording for Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Three-time Tony Award winner Garth H. Drabinsky serves as Executive Producer, with Craig Haffner, Sherry Wright, and Jeffrey A. Sine as Co-Executive Producers.
Howland composed the show’s music, with lyrics by Nathan Tysen and Masi Asare. Additional music is by Larry Kirwan, inspired by the songs of Stephen Foster. Musical direction, musical supervision and orchestrations are by Howland, with arrangements by Howland and Kirwan.
As previously announced, Paradise Square will resume Broadway performances on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:00 pm at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47th Street), after pausing performances from April 7 due to positive COVID cases in the company.
Tony Award nominee Joaquina Kalukango leads a cast that also stars Chilina Kennedy, Tony Award nominee John Dossett, Sidney DuPont, A.J. Shively, Nathaniel Stampley, Gabrielle McClinton, Jacob Fishel, Kevin Dennis and Matt Bogart.
Paradise Square has a book by Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas and Larry Kirwan. Direction is by two-time Tony Award nominee Moisés Kaufman, who was a 2015 National Medal of Arts recipient under President Barack Obama. Choreography is by Bill T. Jones, who is a two-time Tony Award winner, 2014 National Medal of Arts recipient also under Obama, and a 2010 Kennedy Center Honoree. Musical staging is by Alex Sanchez. Irish and Hammerstep choreography is by Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus.
Paradise Square is produced by three-time Tony Award winner Garth H. Drabinsky. Mr. Drabinsky’s longtime colleague, documentary filmmaker Peter LeDonne is co-producing. The multi-award-winning creative team features scenic design by Allen Moyer, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, lighting design by Donald Holder, sound design by Jon Weston, projection design by Wendall K. Harrington and Shawn Edward Boyle, hair and wig design by Matthew Armentrout and special effects by Gregory Meeh. Dramaturgy is by Thulani Davis and Sydné Mahone.