Her road from COVID to ‘Paradise Square’
Joaquina Kalukango was still stunned hours after being nominated for a best leading actress in a musical Tony for her work in “Paradise Square.”
“Oh my God, I don’t know what to feel right now, but I’m so shocked,” the pint-sized powerhouse told the Daily News on Monday afternoon.
Kalukango, 33, portrays Nelly O’Brien, the owner of the Paradise Square Saloon in the Five Points district of lower Manhattan, where all the action takes place.
The sweeping Broadway musical, directed by Moisés Kaufman, follows the racially charged 1863 New York draft riots that left hundreds dead and entire populations of Black people displaced.
The Atlanta native, who made her debut on the Great White Way in a 2011 revival of “Godspell,” said she was attracted to “Paradise Square” because of its historical context and the way Jason Howland put it to music.
“I remember [thinking how] I knew nothing about this time period specifically in New York and no history about the draft riots and what was happening in the Five Points at that time,” she told The News.
“And so that was what really got me, that this was going to be an epic musical that I could lead but also to be able to tell this New York story right here on Broadway.”
The show, which had its world premiere at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in California in 2019, was nominated Monday for 10 Tony Awards, including best scenic design, best costume design, best original score, best choreography and best musical.
Kalukango’s COVID-19 diagnosis after the April 3 Opening Night performance shut down the show for 10 days. Monday’s nominations, she said, are meaningful for her and the cast of 40.
She previously appeared in Broadway productions of “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” “The Color Purple” and Jeremy O. Harris’ controversial “Slave Play.”
Her performance in “Slave Play” as Kaneisha, half of an interracial couple participating in a form of sex therapy using fantasy play and re-creating the antebellum slavery era, led to her first Tony nomination for best leading actress in a play.
Though both shows may share some elements of the 1800s, Kalukango said they couldn’t be further apart.
“‘Slave Play’ was heavy,” she said. .
As far as the physical demands of “Paradise Square, she said: “In terms of stamina and preparation, you really do have to take care of yourself. You know, you can’t go out drinking like you do after a play.”
And she’s hoping she gets a chance to belt out her showstopper number, “Let It Burn” during the June 12 Tony Awards ceremony. That performance has led to standing ovations at the Barrymore Theatre.
“That would extraordinary,” the “Lovecraft Country” actress said. “I love singing it every night for so many people — for all the ancestors, for everybody.”