Writers' 'Parade' still resonates with tale of bigotry, injustice
The Writers Theatre revival of "Parade," about a Jewish man lynched after he's wrongfully convicted of murdering a 13-year-old girl in 1913 Atlanta, is more than an exquisite production.
In the wake of recent anti-Semitic harassment including bomb threats and cemetery desecrations - which increased by 86 percent over last year during 2017's first quarter, according to the Anti-Defamation League - "Parade" reminds us how difficult it is to erase hate. It reminds us how often such efforts stall or retrogress, and how much more work we have to do.
Few musicals address such subjects. But the multifaceted "Parade" doesn't stop there. Writer Alfred Uhry and composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown's Tony Award-winning show - which premiered on Broadway in 1998 and closed after 85 performances - also takes on racism, class conflict, political corruption and media manipulation. Rooted in a quietly poignant love story, the musical's superior score pairs Southern-inspired folk tunes, blues and ragtime with sophisticated, Broadway-style ballads (a la Stephen Sondheim) and occasional operatic flourishes.
Writers' version marks "Parade's" first equity production in this area. And in this intimate, emotionally resonant, beautifully performed revival, director Gary Griffin - with music director Michael Mahler and conductor Matt Deitchman - pays the musical the deference it deserves.
Patrick Andrews, an actor of impressive range and emotional depth, plays Leo Frank, a dapper, slightly disdainful, Brooklyn-born Jew who manages an Atlanta pencil factory and becomes a scapegoat for a community determined to avenge the death of young Mary (Caroline Heffernan). Uncomfortable in his adopted city, Leo is uncertain around his wife, the devoted but insecure Lucille (masterfully played by the accomplished Brianna Borger), who comes into her own while championing her husband's innocence. Her transformation into Leo's equal, as well as his hard-won humility and recognition of her strength, reshape their relationship from docile to passionate. That evolution becomes achingly clear in Andrews and Borger's rapturous "All the Wasted Time," a stirring duet, exceptionally sung.
Jonathan Butler-Duplessis plays Jim, the former convict turned factory custodian who accuses Leo of murder after ambitious prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (Kevin Gudahl) threatens his parole. Gudahl's performance is all the more chilling for the subtle unease and flicker of conscience he conveys. Meanwhile, the formidable Butler-Duplessis nearly stops the show with "Blues: Feel the Rain Fall," a gospel-tinged number unsettlingly underscored by carnal intent.
That's saying something. In this production, the competition to stop the show is fierce. Case in point: the propulsive performances of Nicole Michelle Haskins and Jonah D. Winston. They play servants ruminating in the insistently sardonic "A Rumblin' and a Rollin'" on outcries from the North to save a white man from the hangman's noose. Those voices, the song points out, are silent when it comes to black men. The scene is one of many that shows just how powerful - and timely - "Parade" remains.
“Parade”
★ ★ ★ ★
Location: Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe, (847) 242-6000 or
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 3 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday through July 2. Also 3 p.m. June 14 and 28. No 6 p.m. show June 18 and July 2.
Tickets: $35-$80
Running time: Two hours, 35 minutes including intermission
Parking: Street parking available
Rating: For teens and older