Brown's Parade Has UK Premiere at Edinburgh, Aug 9-28 2005/06/21

Brown's Parade Has UK Premiere at Edinburgh, Aug 9-28

Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Posted: 06:06 PM - by BWW News Desk

Jason Robert Brown's Tony Award-winning Parade will receive its UK premiere at SouthSide, Edinburgh on August 9th as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; it will run until August 28th, with previews beginning on August 5th.

Directed by Pia Furtado (the National Theatre's Young Directors Course 2005) with musical direction by Tom Deering (Creation and Still Life � Bridewell Theatre), the production will feature design by Morgan Large (Don Giovanni-Opera East) and choreography by Nick Winston (Ain't Misbehavin'-Harrogate Theatre).� Parade's cast of 22 will be led by Ashley Lilley and Chris Colley (Jesus Christ Superstar), with Wendy Morgan (Martine-RNT. Olivier Award-Best Actress), Russell Whitehead (Finalist�Internationl Voice of Musical Theatre�BBC Radio 2), Tim Hardy (Henry V and Marat/Sade � RSC, on Broadway and film), David Freedman (Jesus Christ Superstar-Palace Theatre), Chris Coleman (Oklahoma-RNT), Brian McCann (Tommy-UK Tour), Nathaniel Kelly (Oliver-London Palladium)and Simon Bishop (Ragtime-Piccadilly Theatre).

With a score by Brown and a book by Alfred Uhry, Parade based on the seminal trial of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank in 1913, Atlanta, Georgia, as the murder of a young girl ignites dormant prejudice and media frenzy incites a community to revenge.� Parade opened on Broadway at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre on December 17th, 1998 for a run of 39 previews and 85 performances.� Directed by Harold Prince with choreography by Patricia Birch, the show originally starred Brent Carver as Leo and Carolee Carmello as his bold wife, Lucille.� Parade netted Brown a Tony for Best Original Score, and Uhry's book was also honored in addition to the show's 7 other nominations.

Brown's first musical, Songs for a New World, debuted at off-Broadway's WPA Theatre in October 1995, and was subsequently recorded by RCA Victor. For his work on that show and others in progress, Brown was given the 1996 Gilman and Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theatre Award.� His The Last 5 Years, which was cited as one of Time Magazine''s "10 Best of 2001," won Drama Desk Awards for Best Music and Best Lyrics.� Brown's extensive work arranging includes William Finn's A New Brain (Lincoln Center Theater), and as orchestrator, Andrew Lippa's John and Jen (Lamb's Theatre)and Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall.� Two new musicals--13 and Honeymoon in Vegas--are currently in the works.

For more information and tickets, visit www.edfringe.com.