Review: PARADE at Orpheum Theatre
What did our critic think of PARADE at Orpheum Theatre?
A true story of unspeakable injustice is beautifully realized in Parade, deservedly winner of the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. Like its dramatic courtroom cousins Inherit then Wind and To Kill a Mockingbird, Parade brings humanity to a tragedy, faces to the pictures projected on a huge backdrop screen, and a heightened emotional realism through Jason Robert Browns’ Tony winning score. Gorgeously staged by Michael Arden, its huge cast is always in motion, amazingly lit to create an atmosphere of hot and dusty 1913 Georgia.
%20and%20company%20in%20the%20National%20Tour%20of%20PARADE%2C%20photo%20by%20Joan%20Marcus%20.jpg?format=auto&width=1400)
Leo Frank (Max Chernin) and his wife Lucille (Talia Suskauer) are Jews in Atlanta, struggling with antisemitism and ostracization. He’s from Brooklyn and can’t understand the southern mentality. The Confederate Memorial Celebration seems ludicrous to Leo, celebrating a defeat. But it shows us the almost religious fervor of the populace – a proud people mired in prejudice and racism. When a little girl is murdered, Frank becomes the easy scapegoat, goaded on by a ruthless yellow journalism campaign, and a heartless prosecutor. Frank is quickly convicted and sentenced to hang.
Pulitzer, Academy and Tony award winner Alfred Uhry knows how to tell a story and combined with Brown’s score, the characters become flesh and blood – villains and victims, lovers, and liars. The ensemble cast includes seven from the 2023 revival, and the technical components are outstanding. A sham trial, manufactured evidence, false testimony, mob mentality and hatred- sound vaguely familiar? With these themes in mind, Parade is a timeless cautionary tale of the very worst of human nature. By wrapping it up in a sumptuous musical setting, we’re more easily engaged in the drama and the horror.
Parade continues through June 8th. Tickets available at broadwaysf.com.
Photo credits: Joan Marcus
Reader Reviews
|
The Secret Garden Warren Theater at Sonoma State University (6/12-6/28) |
|
|
West Side Story—Film with Live Orchestra Davies Symphony Hall (7/09-7/10) |
|
The Still Point: An Immersive Experience SOMArts Cultural Center (7/16-7/25) |
|
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark SPARC (7/03-7/26) |
|
An Evening with a Mentalist: Jay Alexander's Mind Tricks Live San Francisco Magic Theater (w/Jay Alexander) at the Marrakech (7/31-8/02) |
|
Comedy Oakland at Elbo Room Sat July 11 7pm Elbo Room Jack London (7/11-7/11) |
|
Company City Lights Theater Company (7/15-8/22) |
|
Pamela Gaye Walker’s Little BIG Mouth The Marsh Berkeley (7/12-8/02) |
|
An Evening with a Mentalist: Jay Alexander's Mind Tricks Live On 24 Jul to 26 Jul 2026 San Francisco Magic Theater @ the Marrakech (7/24-7/26) |
|
Comedy Oakland at Quinn's Lighthouse Sat June 27 7pm Quinn's Lighthouse (6/27-6/27) |