Nate Adams

The musical adaptation, with book by Adam Rapp and Justin Levine and songs by Jonathan Clay, Zach Chance, and Levine, leans into that emotional core while also deploying some of the most gobsmacking stagecraft I have ever seen. There are moments, of course, when the production struggles to justify its existence beyond the obvious commercial appeal of adapting a beloved property, and you can occasionally sense it straining to prove that these characters need to sing rather than simply speak. Yet when it finds its rhythm, it truly fires on all cylinders, propelled by an electric cast that imbues these familiar figures with bruised pride, stubborn loyalty, and a palpable sense of perseverance.

I’ll admit, the idea of adapting Robert Zemeckis’ classic for the stage piqued my curiosity. Live theater is a notoriously tricky medium to translate cinematic spectacle into something immediate and alive. But within minutes, it becomes clear that this production has written itself into a paradox of its own, one that even Doc Brown couldn’t fix. Some things, perhaps, should have been left in 1985.

What “Parade” offers, however, is a reflection. It urges us not to shy away from our past, but to confront it, with the hope that understanding it might one day help us break the cycle. This is where Uhry’s book and Brown’s lyrics truly shine, making the show as essential to see as “Wicked” or “Hamilton,” albeit for entirely different reasons.