Review: PARADE at Broadway at The Hobby Center

PARADE is unlike any musical I have seen before: part Ken Burns documentary, and part gorgeous, intricate music set in a love story. It debuted back in 1998, but this revival and tour seem perfectly placed for our era. Director Michael Arden and designer Dane Laffrey have revitalized and recontextualized this show that was originally a Harold Prince and Jason Robert Brown production. This iteration of PARADE also owes a lot to the 2007 Donmar Warehouse show in London’s West End for many of its production choices. This touring cast sings the soaring score with blissful ease, and the technical elements force us to face some of the true shadows in America. Whenever you see warning signs that this show contains “anti-semitism, racism, and white supremacy,” and this theater does not condone any of that, you know you are about to witness something discomforting and challenging. The surprise, though, is that Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer, or their understudies Ethan  Riordan and Jenny Hickman, turn PARADE into a great romance at the same time with Jason Robert Brown’s music. It touches the heart and punches you in the stomach at the same time, and that is the real power of this musical.  

PARADE is a true story about Leo Frank, who was railroaded during the murder trial of a young girl in a factory near Atlanta. He was found guilty even though he didn't do it. The people wanted someone to pay. It was in 1913, when memories of the Civil War were still super fresh in the south, and the death of a white girl was reason to go up in arms. Leo was Jewish, and the prosecution manipulated young people and people of color to ensure they got the verdict they wanted. The musical dramatizes the trial and the years afterwards, and we get to witness injustice carried out with pointed patriotism and mob rule behind all of it. 

Urban legend has it that Harold Prince came up with the idea of this show and approached his good friend and frequent collaborator, Stephen Sondheim, to write the songs and music. Sondheim passed, but in came Jason Robert Brown. Brown is having a major moment in Houston theater right now with this piece up at the Hobby Center and his smaller and more personal THE LAST FIVE YEARS set to open at the Queensbury Theatre. PARADE is lush, has a mighty ensemble, and deals with a lot of themes that are uncomfortable to think about. But man, the complexity of this score and the beauty of its execution are jaw-dropping. 

Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer are Leo and Lucille Frank, and anytime they duet in the show, you know it’s going to be an experience. Both actors have some Jewish heritage, and you can hear the passion in their performances as they deliver PARADE’s ambitious vocals. Definitely catch this show for them. Opening night in Houston, though, the pair was replaced by understudies Ethan Riordan and Jenny Hickman. Their act two duets of “This is Not Over Yet” and  “All the Wasted Time” were some of the best performances I have seen on any stage anywhere. They were tight, on-point, but also so heartfelt that you could feel every emotion bursting around them. It's wild to think these two are the understudies, because I felt every note. 

The ensemble of PARADE is fearless and always in tune with each other. As a unit, they sound unstoppable, and certainly this group of artists has taken great care with this material. Standouts include Ramone Nelson as Jim Conley, who infuses his gospel-influenced numbers with a bravado and sure-footedness that feels revelatory. Chris Shyer has a charming turn as Governor Slaton, and his presence is a welcome ray of light in the proceedings. Griffin Binnicker is the dark yin to Shyer’s yang as Tom Watson, a man determined to make Georgia glorious again. His performance is chilling and spot-on. 

Dane Laffrey’s scenic design keeps the action focused on a raised platform centerstage where anything important happens. The chorus watches the narrative play out from chairs around this, and projections emphasize places and events. We even get to see some of the real people involved in this story, which just makes things ache a little more. Patriotic bunting, Americana, and all sorts of noble imagery clash up against Confederate flags waved by children and other disturbing design elements. The tech delivers as powerful a performance as our two leads and the ensemble. 

PARADE asks a lot of its audience. There are moments when a song is so rousing and well-sung, but then you realize the material is uncomfortable, and you wonder if you should cheer or stay absolutely quiet. Therein is the genius of this work. It asks us to confront America with some bad and disquieting truths that may still be around 110 years later. Someone in my group wondered if this might make a better play than musical, because it feels odd to have dancing and singing about themes like Anti-Semitism and outright racism. It’s an odd juxtaposition, and it feels more tragically operatic than a pop music piece that we are used to on the stages these days. And that’s what makes PARADE important, alive, and vital. It refuses to take the easy road or find the easy answers. But it also refuses to not give you beauty to admire in the midst of all of this. A gorgeous punch in the stomach, and a musical you will be thinking about for weeks after.  

PARADE runs at the Hobby Center through July 20th. This is a longer length show with everything taking about two hours and forty minutes, including the intermission. Act one is a little longer and tougher than Act two, so stick with it for the best parts. Parking on-site runs $15 for self-parking in the garage and $25 for valet.