PARADE Benefit Concert Plays On Civic Theatre Of Allentown's Stage 7/17, 7/18

It is set to be one of the most emotionally stirring experiences ever seen on Civic Theatre of Allentown's stage: a special two show-only benefit concert performance of Jason Robert Brown's Tony Award-winning musical Parade on July 17th and 18th, 2009, with both shows at 8pm.

Parade is the true story behind the 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 throughout the state of Georgia, and specifically in Atlanta, where Frank lived and worked. When Frank's sentence was commuted due to possible problems with the trial, he was transferred to a prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, where a lynching party kidnapped him from 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 Leo Frank's trial and lynching.

The plot of the show hews closely to the historical story and does not shy away from the conclusion that the likely killer was the African-American drifter Jim Conley, the key witness against Frank at the trial. The true villains of the piece are portrayed as the prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (later the governor of Georgia and then a judge) and the rabid publisher Tom Watson (later elected a U.S. senator).

Yet it's the evolving relationship between Leo and his wife Lucille that forms the core of Parade. The poignancy of the couple, who fall in love in the midst of adversity, makes the tragic outcome - the miscarriage of justice - even more disturbing. Parade won the 1999 Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Book of a Musical, in addition to being nominated for Best Musical.

Parade will be presented at Civic as a benefit concert featuring the show's extraordinary score, staged with both Civic actors and guest artists. This show is a special fundraising event to benefit Civic Theatre of Allentown. Civic's last benefit concert was a tremendously successful production of Evita in the summer of 2006. Please check www.civictheatre.com for more information.

Parade: A Special Concert Performance at Civic Theatre of Allentown

When: July 17th & 18th, show each night at 8pm

Tickets: $25 for all

Where: Civic Theatre of Allentown's 19th Street Theatre, 527 N. 19th St., Allentown

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.