Review: A Powerful PARADE Sparks the Conversation at Manatee Players

“It’s Memorial Day...don’t you have a Parade to cover?”- Lucille Frank to Britt

“...But suddenly loud as a mortar, there is hope...Finally hope!” -Leo Frank

From the moment the lights dim to the opening chords of the Prologue, the audience knew they were in for a treat. A haunting and stirring rendition of The Old Red Hills of Home, led by young actor Elijah Zurek as the Young Soldier, will have you in a chokehold from the very start. Sweeping you away, back to a time when life should have been simpler, but as we all would soon figure out, couldn’t be any farther from the truth.

The vocals of the performers, accompanied by the lush score by Jason Robert Brown, prove that Parade is anything but a one-trick pony relying on gimmicks. Its a hard-hitting conversation based on the prejudices of society and the Deep South, and a hard-hitting look at how life is handled a little differently by people slightly different than those we’ve known all of our lives. This is what makes Parade a masterclass in storytelling. For its not reliant on one narrative, but Parade finds itself rooted in a multi-generational story, amidst the backdrop of the old-south, where times for some are easier than others.  A time when someone who may walk, talk, act, and even think a little differently than the locals, would ultimately prove to hold the key to the most important lesson a society would come to learn at the time.

Director Scott Keys marvelously puts this conversation to the forefront for all of us to come face to face with not only the prejudices and injustices faced in the story but possibly a mirror-image/reflection into our own lives and ideals.

He says it best in his Director’s Notes in the program by saying,

“....But when the parades are over, the flags stop flying, and the band stops playing, there is the long walk home through the littered streets.

Parade is about a time, a place, and people who feel displaced as they fight for a place to call home. Bystanders standing on the sidelines watching the parade go by. People feeling displaced by industrialization, economics, and an integration of diverse demographics. Leo, a Brooklyn born Jewish man feels out of place as he tries to make a home with his new wife in the Atlanta. Blacks feel ostracized as they try to assimilate in the newly designated “free” South. Farmers feel displaced by losing their land and the onslaught of industrialization. Many white, southern Christians yearn for their now decaying antebellum way of life and the confederacy, with all of its privileges and glory.”

Parade, is a musical dramatization of the 1913 trial and imprisonment, and the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank a Jewish American, set in the backdrop of the deep south in and around Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding sub-communities. Featuring a book by Alfred Uhry, and music/lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, with a sweeping, and lush score highlighting the 33 songs making up this haunting and harrowing story.

The musical premiered on Broadway in December of 1998, winning Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Original Score (garnering 9 total nominations.) The musical closed in February of 1999, and has gone on to sprout a US National Tour, and professional productions in the US and UK. In 2023, a Broadway Revival was planned featuring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as Leo Frank and Lucille Frank, respectively.

Director Harold Prince, reached out to Jason Robert Brown to write the music after Sondheim turned down the project. Book writer Alfred Uhry was added to the project as it was learned that Uhry grew up in Atlanta, had knowledge of the case, and who’s Great- Uncle was the man who owned the Pencil Factory in which Leo Frank worked.

One small problem lies within the confines of the story. It alludes but never gives up whom the actual murderer was. Many walked away wondering who actually killed Mary Phagan. It does, however, seemingly conclude, that the ultimate culprit is Jim Conley, an employee at the factory and ultimately a key witness in the trial.  The relationship between Leo and Lucille amid the controversy, and the poignancy of their love is the central storyline of the piece. Making the tragic ending even more disturbing. Parade was Jason Robert Brown’s first Broadway production, ushering him in as one of the great Broadway Composers.

The company put together by Scott Keys to tell this poignant, moving, and ultimately haunting true story will go down as one of the strongest companies I have had the pleasure of witnessing to date.

As Leo Frank, Craig Weiskerger is in his element. His nuanced performance, his exceptional vocal skill, and his grounded nature in every moment makes this a stunning turn. You believe in his plight, and his need for the town to understand he is a good/ honest man. The chemistry between Weiskerger and his real-life wife Heather Nicole as Lucille Frank is off the charts. You understand his want to come home, and her need to want him home. Their duets in numbers “This is Not Over Yet,” and “All the Wasted Time,” will fill your heart with love and hope. Their harmonies are perfectly balanced here. However, its moments such as “How Can I Call this Home,” and “It’s Hard to Speak My Heart,” where you really experience the different layers of his truly masterful performance.

As Lucille Frank, Heather Nicole is outstanding. Her meticulously calculated strive to bring her husband home is earth-shaking. You feel for her plight in your core. Her vocals are unmatched here, and her moment in Act 1, “You Don’t Know This Man,” shows off the beautiful textures in her voice, and you feel her emotion. A stunning turn by Heather.

Mike Nolan is the perfect villain as Hugh Dorsey. He will stop at nothing to convict an innocent man. He’s looking for a scapegoat that will propel his political aspirations forward. Wonderful stage presence help bring this conniving and sinister character to life.

Tim Spradlin as Gov. Jack Slaton, does his best here to covet his career, even if it means coming across as jack-ass. He finally learns the error of his ways, and ultimately it cost him his career. Tim is a great addition to the company, and you get to see the humanity in his Slaton and its a great turn.

Kila Sons is haunting as Mary Phagan. She is wonderfully innocent in one instance, and then every moment following her death is a haunting realization of the blood left on the hands of all involved.  Carrying the balloon around like the weight of the whole trial is pumped into its helium, has a kind of gravitational pull that makes you incapable of turning away.

As the Young Soldier/Frankie Epps, Elijah Zurek, delivers a striking turn. Having witnessed Elijah’s growth on stage over the years, this is a true masterclass. He delivers a maturity in his Frankie Epps, a grounded nature in his delivery that is felt straight to the heart. His opening moments of “Old Red Hills of Home,” will render you speechless as a chill falls over the room. His “Picture Show,” is a fun moment, and the funeral moment will render you speechless. These are the types of roles he was destined to play, something with meat, with heart, with gravitas, and its a wonderful and stunning turn, and really shows the work and heart he pours into the performance.

As Iola (Kennedy Lollar), Essie (Juliana Mattes), and Monteen (Micaela Walsh), each respectively add an additional layer to the story. Their moments in the trial are haunting to watch. You can feel the treachery of being coached by Dorsey. Each of these young performers deliver wonderful performances and their vocals blend well with one another in areas of harmony.

Terry Spann is a powerhouse as Jim Conley.  His vocal deliveries will take you to church, and his comedic timing is perfectly matched. Highlighting his moment in Act two “Blues: Feel the Rain Fall..” allows us to hear the range of his vocals, and they go unmatched in these moments. A wonderful addition to the company.

Gabe Flores pulls together a perfect rendering of a drunken news reporter down on his luck. You get the sense that his career is in the toilet and he needs that one story to put him back on top. Gabe has wonderful presence on stage, however his number “Big News,” fell flat for me here. Unsure of the direction the number was meant to take, but the vocals were slightly all over the place, and there seemed to just be a lot going on. Maybe finding a way to dial the whole number in a bit, might come off more cohesively. Gabe does a fine job at helping propel the story forward. Chris Caswell as Judge Roan, holds down the fort, and does a fine job here.

Seth Bracewell as Tom Watson, a rabidly anti-semitic publisher later turned U.S. Senator is a great villain here. In cahoots with Dorsey to convict an innocent man, and is sinister in his best light. He has some good vocal moments and adds an unsettling layer to the story that is uncomfortable in all the right ways.

Caitlein Jammo is wonderful as the grieving mother. You feel the depths of her loss in the courtroom, and later in the cemetery. There is a truly unsettling moment that happens in the courtroom when she is shown the outfit her daughter was wearing at the time of her death, that is so chilling you could hear a pin drop. Her vocals shine during “My Child Will Forgive Me.”

Minnie McKnight is exceptionally portrayed by Danielle Snelling. Her moments in the courtroom will leave you speechless. However, its her unwavering loyalty to the Franks’  that ground her in her plight. A wonderful addition to the company.

Timarus Foulks shines as Newt Lee, the factory nightwatchman. His vocal power is undeniable, and his “Interrogation Sequence,” really shows off his powerful vocal register. He makes it hard to look away, and you can feel the pain and confusion in his plight.

As Sally Slaton, Gayle Foster plays a wonderful and almost brash/stoic wife to the Governor. You can tell who wears the pants in the relationship, and her gravitas leaps from the stage. You get a sense that nothing can be pulled over on her, and she is a great addition to the fine company, and wonderful to watch.

Rounding out the fine Company of Parade are Old Soldier (Chris Caswell), Riley (Zion Thompson), Angela (Zahara Greco), Luther Rosser/Mr. Peavy (Peter Girgis), Lt. Starnes (Craig Engle), Officer Ivey (Jim Wolfe), Prison Guard (Sawyer Girgis), Madame (Miriam Engle), Lila (Juliana Mattes), and Drummer (Gabe Flores), all come together to present a cohesive and well-developed rendering of this haunting true story. Each adds a unique perspective on what this story means to them and allows the audience to be completely captivated from start to finish, and all should be commended for their exceptional work here

Scott Keys as Director has developed a poignant and harrowing rendering of an ultimately tragic story. A story of love, resilience, and the unwavering testament to the human spirit, in a time when we needed to see it the most. The expert pacing, and cohesive staging made this a feast for the eyes. At two and half hours not once was I finding myself disengaged from the story. I was into their plight, and the telling of the story every step of the way.

Parade is definitely a show on my list of favorites, and Keys does a magnificent job at staging the piece uniquely and engagingly. Some standout moments come to mind,“Prologue: Old Red Hills of Home,” “Leo’s Statement: It’s Hard to Speak My Heart,” “The Glory,” “Blues: Feel the Rain Fall.”

There are several images coupled with the incredible staging concept by Bill Booth that will render you speechless. The ending sequence, without giving anything away will take your breath away. I also thoroughly enjoyed the use of newspapers throughout, whether it be the tree, or the blanket in the picnic, or the projections used throughout, it brought home how vital/critical the stance of the media had on this time in history, and even today’s climate. Ethan Vail does exceptional work with the lighting design, allowing it to cohesively work with Booth’s set rendering, and highlight important moments in the show. Costume design by Caren Brady kept the piece grounded in the period, while still allowing each performer’s individual personality to come through in their characters.

Parade will stand the test of time as one of the most important pieces of American Musical Theater. Its relevance, its poignancy, its harrowing relation to the real-life struggle of the people who lived through the events on display, make this a truly sweeping masterclass of the human condition. Choosing to stage this piece now, proves it's just an important story, and one that needs to be told. Experience for yourself why Manatee Players is consistently on the forefront of producing exquisite musical theater, cherished by its patrons, and beloved by its volunteers and produced at a time when we need these stories more than ever. You would be doing yourself an incredible disservice if you were to miss out on the stunning work being presented onstage. Make the short drive to the Manatee Performing Arts Center, the Manatee Players, and Stone Hall for a truly captivating and relevant work, you’ll be glad you did. Tickets for Parade can be purchased by clicking the button below.

“We gave our lives for the old hills of Georgia, The Old Red Hills of Home, Not much survives of the old hills of Georgia, But I close my eyes and hear, All the treasures we held dear...” -Prologue

PHOTO CREDIT: DIANE BRODA

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