| Parade | |
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| Original Broadway Soundtrack | |
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| Music | Jason Robert Brown |
| Lyrics | Jason Robert Brown |
| Book | Alfred Uhry |
| Based upon | Historic events in Atlanta in 1913 |
| Productions | 1998 Broadway 2006 Australia 2007 London 2007 Ireland |
| Awards | Tony Award for Best Score Tony Award for Best Book |
Parade is a musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown. The musical was first produced on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater on December 17 1998. The production was directed by Harold Prince and closed 28 February 1999 after only 39 previews and 84 regular performances. It starred Brent Carver as Leo Frank, Carolee Carmello as Lucille Frank, and Christy Carlson Romano as Mary Phagan. The musical won Tony Awards for best book and best score (out of nine nominations) and six Drama Desk Awards, and the show has enjoyed a U.S. national tour and numerous professional and amateur productions both in the U.S. and abroad.
Contents |
History
- Leo Frank
The musical concerns the real-life 1913 trial of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank, who was accused of raping and murdering a 13 year old employee, Mary Phagan. The trial, sensationalized by the media, aroused anti-Semitic tensions in Atlanta and the U.S. state of Georgia. When Frank's sentence was commuted due to possible problems with the trial, and he was transferred to a prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, a lynching party broke him out of the prison. Frank was taken to Phagan's hometown of Marietta, Georgia, and he was hanged. The Anti-Defamation League was formed partly in response to the Leo Frank trial.[1]
- The musical
Prince turned to Brown to write the score after Stephen Sondheim turned the project down. Prince's daughter, Daisy, had brought Brown to her father's attention. Uhry, who grew up in Atlanta, had personal knowledge of the Frank story, as his great uncle owned the pencil factory run by Leo Frank.[2] In discussing the story, Prince and Uhry have emphasized the evolving relationship between Leo and Lucille. [3] Their relationship shifts from cold to warm in songs like "Leo at Work/What am I Waiting For?," "You Don't Know This Man," "Do it Alone," and "All the Wasted Time". "The poignancy of the couple, who fall in love in the midst of adversity, is the core of the work. It makes the tragic outcome - the miscarriage of justice - even more disturbing.[4] The show was Brown's first Broadway production. His music has "subtle and appealing melodies that draw on a variety of influences, from pop-rock to folk to rhythm and blues and gospel." [5] The plot of the show hews closely to the historical story and doesn't shy away from the conclusion that the likely killer was the African-American drifter Jim Conley, the key witness against Frank at the trial, though the real villains of the piece are prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (later the governor of Georgia and then a judge) and rabid publisher Tom Watson (later elected a U.S. senator).
Plot synopsis
- Act I - Marietta, Georgia (1913)
At a parade commemorating the Southern perspective on the American Civil War, Leo Frank, a northern 'Yankee', alone in his Judaism, is deeply uncomfortable in the town in which he works. His discomfort is shared by Britt Craig, a local journalist bored by the same old stories in the area. Meanwhile, two local children, Frankie Epps and Mary Phagan talk. Frankie wants Mary to go to the picture show with him, but Mary playfully resists, insisting her mother won't let her. Mary leaves to collect her pay from the pencil factory managed by Frank. Frank's wife Lucille bemoans the state of their marriage, believing herself unappreciated by a man so wrapped up in his work and himself. Mary Phagan is found raped and murdered in the basement of the factory and the local police immediately turn to Newt Lee, an African-American night watchman also working at the factory. Throughout his interrogation he maintains his innocence but inadvertently directs the suspicion of the police upon Frank, who didn't answer his telephone when Lee called him to report the incident. Mary's funeral is a focal point for the rage of the townspeople of Marietta. Epps swears revenge, and Craig exalts in his new-found opportunity to cover a 'real' story. A trial ensues, and Leo Frank finds himself subject to various accusations of molestation and harassment. Frank is desperate to interject but his lawyer insists he stay silent, assuring Frank he has a plan. As prosecutor Hugh Dorsey whips the observers and jurors at the trial into a frenzy, Frank is given his chance to defend himself. He offers a heartfelt speech, pleading to be believed, but it is not enough. He is found guilty and sentenced to hang.
- Act II - After the trial
The African-American population of Marietta air their grievances regarding the public reaction to the trial, both locally and nationwide. The trial has been noted by the press in the north, and the reaction is strongly disapproving of the way in which it was conducted. Lucille Frank has been working to get word to the governor of Georgia in order to gain a retrial or at least a reprieve from the noose, but Leo is unimpressed. Lucille reacts angrily and offers Leo a chance to continue without her help. Leo relents, and Lucille speaks to the governor as an advocate for Leo. The governor, under pressure from all sides, agrees to commute Frank's sentence to life in prison away in Milledgeville, Georgia, which elates Leo and Lucille Frank but enrages the Marietta residents, still baying for blood. Leo realizes his deep love for his wife and how much he has underestimated her, but after Lucille departs the prison a party of masked men arrive and remove Leo from the prison. They return him to Marietta and hang him. Lucille is crushed by her sudden loss but takes comfort in believing that Leo is with God and free from his ordeal.
Musical numbers
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Major roles and original cast
- Leo Frank (a Jewish man running the pencil factory in Marietta) - Brent Carver
- Lucille Frank (Leo Frank's underappreciated wife) - Carolee Carmello
- Jim Conley (an African-American man, implied to be the real murderer of Mary Phagan) - Rufus Bonds, Jr.
- Mary Phagan (a young girl whose murder is blamed on Leo Frank) - Christy Carlson Romano
- Britt Craig (a journalist responsible for some of the furore surrounding the trial) - Evan Pappas
- Hugh Dorsey (the ambitious prosecutor in Leo Frank's trial) - Herndon Lackey
- Tom Watson (the publisher) - John Leslie Wolfe
Response
The show was received coolly by the public and some critics, many of whom felt the show took too many liberties when it came to the use of racial slurs in the show. Most critics, however, praised the show, especially the score.[6] When the show closed, Livent had filed for bankruptcy protection (Chapter 11), leaving Lincoln Center as the other producer solely responsible for covering the weekly running costs.[7]
Other productions
U.S. National tour
A U. S. national tour, directed by Prince, started at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta in June 2000, with Jason Robert Brown conducting at some venues.[8] It starred David Pittu as Leo and Andrea Burns as Lucille.
Notable non-US productions
The first major production in the UK played at the Donmar Warehouse from September 24 to November 24 in 2007.[9] It was directed by Rob Ashford and starred Lara Pulver (who previously played Cathy in the UK premiere of Brown's The Last Five Years) as Lucille and Bertie Carvel as Leo.[10] A double CD cast recording of this production has been released by First Night Records. The recording includes new material written by Brown for the production and contains all songs and dialogue from the Donmar production.[11]
Awards and nominations
- Best Book of a Musical (Uhry) (WINNER)
- Best Original Musical Score (Brown) (WINNER)
- Best Musical (nominee)
- Best Actor in a Musical (Brent Carver) (nominee)
- Best Actress in a Musical (Carolee Carmello) (nominee)
- Best Scenic Design (nominee)
- Best Choreography (nominee)
- Best Direction of a Musical (nominee)
- Best Orchestrations (nominee)
- Outstanding Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Book of a Musical (WINNER)
- Outstanding Actor in a Musical (Brent Carver) (WINNER)
- Outstanding Actress in a Musical (Carolee Carmello) (WINNER-TIE)
- Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical (Rufus Bonds, Jr.) (nominee)
- Outstanding Choreography (nominee)
- Outstanding Director of a Musical (nominee)
- Outstanding Orchestrations (WINNER)
- Outstanding Lyrics (nominee)
- Outstanding Set Design of a Musical (nominee)
- Outstanding Music (Jason Robert Brown) (WINNER)
- Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
- Outstanding Sound Design (nominee)
Notes
- ^ Anti-Defamation League information
- ^ New York Times, "Songwriting Challenge of Historic Proportions", Robin Pogrebin, E1, December 22, 1998
- ^ Variety, Legit Reviews, Charles Isherwood, December 21, 1998 - January 3, 1999, p85
- ^ Christian Science Monitor (Boston, MA), "Poignant 'Parade' probes America's heart", Iris Fanger, p. 19, December 18, 1998
- ^ Variety, Legit Reviews, Charles Isherwood, December 21, 1998 - January 3, 1999, p85
- ^ Links to numerous reviews
- ^ New York Times, Jesse McKinley, interview with Bernard Gersten, 2/3/99, p. B2
- ^ http://www.playbill.com/news/article/48884.html
- ^ "Parade Comes to London Autumn 2007" (22 February 2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
- ^ 2007 London casting information
- ^ London "Parade" to Release Cast Recording (Playbill, 10/24/07)
References
- Extensive website about the show
- Cast and other information from the Geocities Jason Robert Brown website
- All the Wasted Time - Parade
- MTI's Parade pages
- Information about the Leo Frank case
- Profile of the show at the NODA website indicating which characters sing which numbers
External links
- Parade, from the theatre's website
- Parade at the Internet Broadway Database
- New York Times review, 12/18/98
- List of numerous productions of Parade between 2001 and 2004
| Awards | ||
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| Preceded by Ragtime by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty |
Tony Award for Best Original Score 1997 by Jason Robert Brown |
Succeeded by Aida by Elton John and Tim Rice |
| Preceded by Ragtime by Terrence McNally |
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical 1997 (nominee) by Alfred Uhry |
Succeeded by James Joyce's The Dead by Richard Nelson |
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13 • Songs for a New World • Parade • Urban Cowboy • The Last Five Years |
