"Paradise Square" at Berkeley Rep - Historic & Biopic - The Remarkable Dancing Makes It Memorable

"Paradise Square" is a new musical (which first opened in NYC at the Cell) at the Berkeley Rep. is a musical set in NYC in 1863 at the height of the Civil War and the start of the mandatory Draft for the Union Army.  "Paradise Square" hones in on a small mid-section of NYC in lower Manhattan just north of Battery Park known as Five Points.  Five Points was known for being the poorest, most congested slum neighborhood was home for mostly impoverished Irish immigrants and African Americans.  There was also an influx of Jewish, Chinese & Italian immigrants.  Many of the Irish immigrant women married African Americans and was referred to amalgamation; frowned upon in the north & illegal south.   The biopic center of this story is Stephen Foster who resided in Five Points during this time, a time when he was most prolific.  Foster's music is more the focus than Foster himself.  The musical score is comprised of all Foster's songs, re-arranged or inspired music. The music was conceived & arranged by Larry Kirwan.  Emmy winning arranger & Tony winner Jason Howland also did the arranging & orchestration.  The musical encompasses major historic events during the epoch of the Civil War.   The storytelling is dense with significant issues that the gravitas gets washed down the Swanee River.   The Underground Railroad, slavery, massive immigration/over population, racial riots, the mandatory draft - not mandatory for the wealthy for white males into the Union and the barring of African Americans from fighting converge in music and dance.  The dance is what makes the show stand out.  The footwork of Irish step dancing  dancing and African rhythms & plantation imagery were captivating & profound.  Jones is a major force in the world dance.  He's received the Presidential Medal of Honor, the Kennedy Center Honors and two Tony Awards for his choreography.  Enough can't be said for the varied dance forms & their artistry.  Owen an Irish immigrant (A.J. Shively) showed remarkable intricate Irish "soft shoe" dancing which was lyrical & athletic.  William Henry, a fugitive slave (Sidney Dupont) demonstrated his dancing skills based in African tribal roots which told the horror of slavery & suffering on the plantation.   Both exceptional dancers fuse & expand their dance vocabularies & art forms from  watching each other.  The sharing & blending of cultures & races was intended as a beacon of enlightenment in this musical which had multitudes to say.  "Paradise Square" is an angle shy of 5 points.  I'll bet my money on editing the storytelling in this ambitious & admirable production will help to head its way to Broadway - Oh dah do dah day.  The Dance Heritage Coalition named  Mr. Jones "An irreplaceable Dance Treasure."  I call Mr. Jones a genius and a driving force in the powers of dance.