{"id":409593,"date":"2022-02-25T04:32:58","date_gmt":"2022-02-25T01:32:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/broadways-paradise-square-is-a-nightmare-behind-the-scenes\/"},"modified":"2022-02-25T04:32:58","modified_gmt":"2022-02-25T01:32:58","slug":"broadways-paradise-square-is-a-nightmare-behind-the-scenes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/broadways-paradise-square-is-a-nightmare-behind-the-scenes\/","title":{"rendered":"#Broadway&#8217;s &#8216;Paradise Square&#8217; is a &#8216;nightmare&#8217; behind the scenes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Broadway&#8217;s &#8216;Paradise Square&#8217; is a &#8216;nightmare&#8217; behind the scenes<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/author-johnny-oleksinski.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Johnny Oleksinski\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/author-johnny-oleksinski.png?w=152 152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/author-johnny-oleksinski.png?w=114 114w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/author-johnny-oleksinski.png?w=76 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/author-johnny-oleksinski.png?w=38 38w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2015\/07\/author-johnny-oleksinski.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>There\u2019s trouble in \u201cParadise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cast of the new Broadway musical \u201cParadise Square\u201d was instructed by their union, Actors Equity, not to show up to rehearsal on Monday, multiple sources told The Post. And it wasn\u2019t so producer Garth Drabinsky could give his 40-strong ensemble some Presidents\u2019 Day relaxation. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe cast members were freaked out,\u201d an insider with ties to the musical said of the stop-work order, which was allegedly due to production payment issues. \u201cA bunch of them started calling their agents asking what to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>(In a statement to the post, Drabinsky\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> manager Jeffrey\u00a0Chrzczon, said: \u201cParadise Square is fully bonded, and cast salaries are paid current week and are up to date and no salaries have been missed throughout the nine years of its development, including the 12 weeks of the Chicago engagement. Many of the actors in Paradise Square have worked with Mr. Drabinsky on previous productions.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>When the rattled company returned on Tuesday, just 21 days away from their first preview, a slew of actors conspicuously posted h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y rehearsal photos to their Instagram accounts. That move, the insider suggested, might have been a coordinated distraction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGarth is working overtime to make sure this does not get to the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n<p>Sounds about right. Drabinsky is Broadway\u2019s real-life Max Bialystock.<\/p>\n<p>After producing \u201cRagtime\u201d and \u201cShow Boat\u201d in the 1990s, Drabinsky was thrown behind bars in 2009 for keeping two sets of books for his Broadway production company Livent. In doing so, he misled investors into believing that money-losing flops were really big hits, bilking them out of some $500 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bw_Drabinsky065.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Fraudster Garth Drabinsky is back on Broadway with &quot;Paradise Square.&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-21323670\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bw_Drabinsky065.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bw_Drabinsky065.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/bw_Drabinsky065.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Fraudster Garth Drabinsky is back on Broadway with \u201cParadise Square.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Toronto Star via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Canadian crook was only allowed to cross the border into the United States again in 2019 after charges here were dismissed with prejudice because he served time in Canada. \u201cParadise\u201d was set to be the jailbird\u2019s big return after 20 years away, but the new musical at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre is riddled with backstage drama and hemorrhaging money. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith Garth,\u201d a source said, \u201cit\u2019s always an ocean of red ink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The production\u2019s spokesman, Jim Byk, played down issues with the production in a statement: \u201cThe cast of \u2018Paradise Square\u2019 is currently in rehearsal in a Midtown studio. Rehearsals have been going exceedingly well and have been running slightly ahead of schedule.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere were some administrative issues that the cast wanted their union to address, and they used the Presidents\u2019 Day holiday on Monday, February 21 to do so. They were back in rehearsal on Tuesday, February 22. We move to the Barrymore Theatre next week to begin the tech rehearsal process ahead of our March 15 first preview.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0209-Eilis-Quinn-Chloe-Davis-and-Ensemble-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"The Chicago tryout of &quot;Paradise Square&quot; in the fall suffered from low attendance. \" class=\"wp-image-21323690\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0209-Eilis-Quinn-Chloe-Davis-and-Ensemble-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0209-Eilis-Quinn-Chloe-Davis-and-Ensemble-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0209-Eilis-Quinn-Chloe-Davis-and-Ensemble-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The Chicago tryout of \u201cParadise Square\u201d in the fall and winter suffered from low attendance. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Kevin Berne<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But lighting and sound cues are the least of their concerns, several people told The Post. Sources said that there\u2019s simply not enough money to keep \u201cParadise Square,\u201d a kind of Civil War \u201cCheers\u201d about an NYC tavern in the 1800s where blacks and the Irish peacefully coexisted, afloat for very long, and bills have been piling up for months. The show is believed to have minuscule advance ticket sales and endured heavy losses \u2014 into the millions \u2014 during a Chicago tryout. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was this thinking that they would walk away with a ton of money from the Chicago engagement, and that didn\u2019t happen,\u201d an industry source said. \u201cPeople were very worried about getting their pay.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>They added that ticket-buyers there were cooler to the show than Lake Michigan in December, due to the mixed reviews and confusing marketing materials. \u201cWhen you look at the artwork, you go, \u2018Is this a show about a lamp?&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0231-Nathaniel-Stampley-as-Rev.-Samuel-Jacob-Lewis-Chilina-Kennedy-as-Annie-Lewis-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Nathaniel Stampley and Chilina Kennedy star in &quot;Paradise Square.&quot; \" class=\"wp-image-21323724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0231-Nathaniel-Stampley-as-Rev.-Samuel-Jacob-Lewis-Chilina-Kennedy-as-Annie-Lewis-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0231-Nathaniel-Stampley-as-Rev.-Samuel-Jacob-Lewis-Chilina-Kennedy-as-Annie-Lewis-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0231-Nathaniel-Stampley-as-Rev.-Samuel-Jacob-Lewis-Chilina-Kennedy-as-Annie-Lewis-in-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Nathaniel Stampley and Chilina Kennedy star in \u201cParadise Square.\u201d <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">\u00a9Kevin Berne<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A Broadway vet observed that the musical is under-capitalized at $11.5 million, calling the number \u201cshockingly low\u201d for its size and noting it\u2019s really an $18-20 million musical.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That apparent lack of cash is why you\u2019re not seeing much marketing for \u201cParadise Square,\u201d the insider said, even though Drabinsky loves nothing more than a double-truck ad on a Sunday. <\/p>\n<p>Another issue: The show just isn\u2019t very good. <\/p>\n<p>I saw it in the Windy City from a balcony that had enough empty seats for a small suburb. It was a heady jumble.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0060-Center-Joaquina-Kalukango-Nathaniel-Stampley-Chilina-Kennedy-and-the-cast-of-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"Joaquina-Kalukango, left, and the cast of &quot;Paradise Square.&quot; \" class=\"wp-image-21323755\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0060-Center-Joaquina-Kalukango-Nathaniel-Stampley-Chilina-Kennedy-and-the-cast-of-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0060-Center-Joaquina-Kalukango-Nathaniel-Stampley-Chilina-Kennedy-and-the-cast-of-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/0060-Center-Joaquina-Kalukango-Nathaniel-Stampley-Chilina-Kennedy-and-the-cast-of-Paradise-Square-\u00a9Kevin-Berne.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Joaquina-Kalukango (left) and the cast of \u201cParadise Square.\u201d <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Kevin Berne<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The storytelling troubles have surely been exacerbated by a behind-the-scenes storm of artistic problems. Drabinsky, a quick-tempered bully, is playing an outsize role in the rehearsal room, a source said. During rehearsals in Chicago, the producer would watch, often maskless, and occasionally make offensive, tone-deaf remarks. The source added the experience has been \u201ca nightmare\u201d for the company.<\/p>\n<p>(Chrzczon disputed this recollection saying Drabinsky always wore a mask during rehearsal and complied with COVID-safety measures. \u201cAt the height of the pandemic,\u201d he noted, \u201cthe \u2018Paradise Square\u2019 company had no cases of COVID over 12 weeks in rehearsal and performances in Chicago.\u201d)<\/p>\n<p>The actors, the insider said, feel that \u201c[Director] Moises Kaufman (\u201cThe Laramie Project,\u201d \u201cBengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo\u201d) is not strong, really doesn\u2019t have a sense of controlling the cast and Garth. Garth has a seat at the table, and the cast really doesn\u2019t respect [Moises] in a major way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Still, it\u2019s Drabinsky and his team who have made \u201cParadise\u201d a living hell.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t believe here\u2019s anything criminal happening,\u201d the industry source said. But \u201c[Garth] has an ego so large it won\u2019t fit into New York Harbor.\u00a0\u201c\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/02\/24\/broadways-paradise-square-is-a-nightmare-behind-the-scenes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Broadway&#8217;s &#8216;Paradise Square&#8217; is a &#8216;nightmare&#8217; behind the scenes&#8221; There\u2019s trouble in \u201cParadise.\u201d The cast of the new Broadway musical \u201cParadise Square\u201d was instructed by their union, Actors Equity, not to show up to rehearsal on Monday, multiple sources told The Post. And it wasn\u2019t so producer Garth Drabinsky could give his 40-strong ensemble some&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":409594,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/Paradise-Square.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[126095,29467,70418],"class_list":["post-409593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2-24-22","tag-broadway","tag-broadway-musicals"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}