Opened: April 3, 2022

Book by: Christina Anderson, Craig Lucas & Larry Kirwan

Music by: Jason Howland

Lyrics by: Nathan Tysen & Masi Asare

Original Broadway Cast: Joaquina Kalukango, Chilina Kennedy, John Dossett, Sidney DuPont, A.J. Shively, Nathaniel Stampley, Gabrielle McClinton, Kevin Dennis, Jacob Fishel, Matt Bogart, Aisha Jackson, Colin Barkell, Garrett Coleman, Karen Burthwright, Kennedy Caughell, Dwayne Clark, Connor Coleman, Eric Craig, Colin Cunliffe, Chloe Davis, Josh Davis, Bernard Dotson, Jamal Christopher Douglas, Camille Eanga-Selenge, Sam Edgerly, Shiloh Goodin, Sean Jenness, Joshua Keith, Jay McKenzie, Ben Michael, Kayla Pecchioni, Eilis Quinn, Lee Siegel, Erica Spyres, Lael Van Keuren, Sir Brock Warren, Alan Wiggins, Kristen Beth Williams & Hailee Kaleem Wright

Unfortunate backstage drama led to the demise of this promising new musical.

In 1863, Nelly O’Brien (Joaquina Kalukango) runs a saloon in an area of Manhattan where free black people and Irish immigrants get along. She sets up a dance competition with a cash prize large enough for a man to buy his way out of the Civil War draft.

Choreographer Bill T. Jones brilliantly combines traditional Irish dancing with the style of the black people. Both types are perfectly done and it’s some of the best choreography Broadway has seen in years.

Kalukango proves she’s one of the greats, especially with her emotionally strong penultimate number “Let It Burn.”

The end of the show comes abruptly and needs a bit of fine tuning, but it’s fantastic until the last five minutes.

Final say: Should’ve been paradise. ★★★★☆