Review: PARADE at Ground Floor Theatre

While Austin stages overflow in December with CHRISTMAS CAROLS (three!), TUNA CHRISTMASES (two!), and all manner of holiday theatre cheer, a brilliant star shines at Ground Floor Theatre: Alfred Uhry’s PARADE. First produced in 2015 during GFT’s inaugural season, this remount stands as a striking full-circle moment in the company’s decade-long evolution into Austin’s leading inclusive theatre.

The musical PARADE premiered in 1998 at Lincoln Center, earning Tonys for Alfred Uhry’s book and Jason Robert Brown’s score. The show resurfaced in a big way with the 2023 Broadway revival starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, a transfer from New York City Center that won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. This production reintroduced PARADE’s searing story to a new generation and solidified its place as a powerful work in the modern musical theatre canon.

PARADE is a welcome alternative to the onslaught of holiday fare served up in December for this reviewer. But be warned: this exceptional show, based on a true story, is dark. PARADE chronicles the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in Atlanta accused of murdering young Mary Phagan. As the case ignites media sensationalism, political maneuvering, and a wave of antisemitic fervor, Frank and his wife Lucille struggle to hold onto the truth—and to each other. The musical traces their evolving bond amid a community fractured by fear and prejudice, leading to a verdict and fate as devastating as it is unjust. That’s right, it’s a musical. A musical that painfully but beautifully reminds us that we will repeat our future if we don’t learn from our past. In GFT’s case, this show is a reminder not just of our greater social ills, but of their own capacity to step into a resonant present by revisiting this show from their first season. I didn’t see GFT’s first effort at PARADE. I can only say, based on the performance I saw last week, that if it was anything close to this remount, it had to be stellar.

Helmed by GFT artistic director Lisa Scheps and Co–Musical Directors Adam Roberts and Dr. Ellie Jarret Shattles, this production of PARADE is disciplined, sharp-edged, and purposeful. It is emotionally authentic and deeply engaging from the first haunting “Old Red Hills of Home,” performed by a stirring Ian Harrison as the Young Soldier. It’s a cognitively dissonant number that lyricist and composer Jason Robert Brown draws us in with. Harrison clearly relays the passion of a soldier and culture strong enough to evoke in us an actual understanding of the misguided side that lost the Civil War. Jeff Davis’s (not that Jeff Davis, of course!) spot-on projection, both here and throughout the show, creates a further emotional resonance. By the end of the ensemble piece and the show’s second number, “Anthem: The Dream of Atlanta,” we can tell this gifted production team and cast aren’t messing around.

Loaded with talent and purpose, this ensemble has no weak links. Scheps’ direction gathers a cast that not only delivers Great Performances but also reflects the cultural landscape the show demands, in keeping with GFT’s inclusive commitment to telling the story with integrity. The ensemble is outstanding across the board, and while it’s impossible to spotlight everyone, a few performances demand special mention.

John Christopher’s (Newt/Riley) vocals soar through the intimate GFT space with a presence that envelops us and demands attention, even as he carefully calibrates Newt’s panic as an accused Black man with little agency and no authority. Both Christopher’s and Nicholaus Hunter’s bios note formidable experience in Austin and elsewhere, and that is evidenced in this production of PARADE. Hunter fully embodies Jim Conley’s rage, angst, and resentment at living within a system that has left him with little to no influence over the trajectory of his own life. The drunk and bored Britt Craig, if a little too drunk and opportunistic, still shows up with complexity and dimension under Justin Garrett Smith’s portrayal. Adam Donmoyer is tasked with portraying the principled Gov. John Slaton but also given a somewhat frivolous number in the second act that I believe can lead those not familiar with the Leo Frank case toward a different conclusion about the character. Thankfully, this is rectified by later scenes that Donmoyer delivers cleanly. And somehow, as seemingly insignificant as even the role of a governor’s wife might appear to be in 1913, Hannah Ferguson gives Sally Slaton a confident role of equality in her marriage. Each time she and Donmoyer appeared together, I could sense a progressive partnership that brought me joy.

And then there’s the Franks. Jacob Rosenbaum’s vocal and acting talent make for a perfect, fastidious, and anxious portrayal of Leo. In Rosenbaum’s hands, we can see Frank’s transformation from superior patriarch to grateful husband, and it’s played with a subtlety that lands beautifully in GFT’s intimate space. As Lucille, CB Feller is at once devoted, loyal, independent, and full of resolve. She’s a partner who grows in strength as the story darkens. Together, their work anchors the entire production, revealing a marriage that shifts from strained formality to genuine partnership. Their performances, like so many others on this stage, are as polished as any I’ve seen in Austin.

Backing up this talent is a flawless band led by co–Music Director Dr. Ellie Jarret Shattles. Choreographer Richard Cerato uses restraint on the intimate GFT stage more often than not, but at times, this smaller space makes full-on choreography a tricky challenge. Lighting, projection, and video design are excellent.

In the middle of all the holiday cheer, PARADE is a subversive choice—the exact kind of work co–artistic directors Lisa Scheps and Patti Neff-Tiven’s vision for GFT encompasses. Celebrating their tenth season by circling back to themes of sensationalism, racism, and antisemitism is an apt reminder that we’re not potted plants and can be voices for integrity. PARADE is a refreshing, if stark, alternative—despite the subject matter—to all the tinsel, hot chocolate, candy canes, and ho-ho-hoing you’ll get elsewhere in December. I can’t emphasize this enough: Go see PARADE.

PARADE

Book By Alfred Uhry
Music & Lyrics By Jason Robert Brown

​Directed by Lisa Scheps
Music Directed by Adam Roberts
Choreographed by Richard Cerato

Ground Floor Theatre

979 Springdale Rd Suite 122
Austin, TX  78702

Fri Dec 12, 2025 - Sun Dec 21, 2025

Pay What You Can

Tickets available here

Austin Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. MATILDA: THE MUSICAL (Gaslight-Baker Theatre)

17% of votes

2. SISTER ACT (Bastrop Opera House)

6.3% of votes

3. SHREK (Broke Thespians Theatre Company)

5.7% of votes

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