PARADE in Los Angeles- Page 2

[caitlinette]

Posted: 6/6/08 at 3:27pm

I just read the cast list and feel a bit star-struck...Laura Hathaway is someone I knew of in northern California. I've seen her in like 4 shows...And here she is! Wow.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 12:28pm

Another shameless plug. The show opens one week from Today on July 10th and I must say, its pretty fabulous. I hope any of you out in the L.A. area will come check it out. Its's really nice to be reminded how powerful musical theatre can be.

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 3:44pm

Also in the same area is a production of JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT at the Norris Theatre. The Daily Breeze has given this company's productions of OLIVER and 42ND STREET spots on the top 10 of 2004 and 2005. The show runs from July 10-20 and tickets are on sale at the box office at [phone] and at norriscenter.com. Sorry, shameless plug.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 3:04am

Updated On: 5/6/09 at 03:04 AM

[eslgr8]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 12:20pm

Here's my review of the opening night performance:

The lynching of Jewish Northerner Leo Frank, falsely convicted of murdering 13-year-old Georgia factory worker Mary Phagan, remains today, nearly a century later, one of the most serious miscarriages of justice (and instances of anti-Semitism) in United States history. Powerful stuff for a Broadway musical, and one that would seem, at least on paper, more than a bit of a downer. Parade (with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown and book by Alfred Uhry) was a hard sell on Broadway. If Fosse was the “feel-good” musical of 1999, then a show with such grim subject matter as Parade was pretty much its antithesis, and closed after 85 performances.

Parade’s all too brief run on Broadway was a miscarriage of justice of its own sort, for Parade (which was co-conceived and directed on Broadway by legendary Harold Prince) is one of the most powerful and compelling American musicals ever. It scored a justifiable 9 Tony nominations and won in 2 categories, for best book and best score. Clive Barnes in the New York Post called Parade “a defining moment in Broadway theater” and a London revival last year received nearly unanimous critical raves.

With a brilliant Los Angeles premiere production just opened at Palos Verdes’ Neighborhood Playhouse, local audiences will finally get a chance to experience the power that is Parade.

Director Brady Schwind has assembled a superlative cast, headed by Broadway’s amazing Craig D’Amico, backed by a 12-piece orchestra and featuring razzle-dazzle choreography by Imara Quinonez to make this long awaited L.A. premiere a front-runner for Best Musical of 2008.

No contemporary musical theater composer writes songs better than Brown (13, The Last Five Years, Songs For A New World), and Parade is easily his strongest and most varied score, ranging from gospel to pop rock to rhythm and blues to emotional ballads. Likewise, no one writes with more insight about being Jewish in the South than Uhry, whose book proves the playwright as adept at the dramatic as Driving Miss Daisy and The Last Night Of Ballyhoo proved him at comedy. Uhry’s book moves back and forth through time, as flashbacks reveal the events leading up to Frank’s arrest and trial and we meet the musical’s many characters, each of whom played an important role in the case and each of whom gets his or her center-stage moment to shine.

In a powerful prologue, a young confederate soldier (a fine Michael Tushous) sings a hymn to Georgia, “The Old Red Hills Of Home,” morphing into his elderly self (the excellent David Fairchild, who also plays Judge Leonard Roan), reminding us that the Civil War was not a distant memory at the time of Frank’s trial, but a very real memory for the citizens of Atlanta.

Frankie Epps (a handsome and peppy Ryan Amador) invites Mary Phagan (lovely 9th grader Alissa Anderegg) to “The Picture Show,” but Mary never arrives. Soon after, janitor Newt Lee (a powerful Loren Smith) is being interrogated (“I Am Trying To Remember”) as reporter Britt Craig (James Larsen, magnetic) touts “Big News!” in Atlanta. The golden voiced Amador returns to sing the emotional “It Don’t Make Sense,” followed by “Watson’s Lullaby,” performed by power-hungry newspaper editor Tom Watson (Chris O’Connor, personifying the evil of prejudice).

Michael Hovance is riveting as prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (“Somethin’ Ain’t Right” and “Twenty Miles From Marietta”). Talented teenage trio Megan Dorn-Wallenstein, Carly Menkin, and Marcy Agreen invent an incriminating invitation by Frank to “Come Up To My Office,” a musical number all the more powerful for being so jaunty. Aileen-Marie Scott does her finest work yet as Mary’s mother, singing her heart and soul out in the devastating “My Child Will Forgive Me.”

In a show-stoppingly jazzy “That’s What He Said,” charismatic scene-stealer Tareek Lee Holmes (as factory worker Jim Conley) concocts the elaborate lie that sealed Frank’s fate.

The sensational Ross Love and Tawny Dolley join Smith and Holmes in the gospel-inspired “A Rumblin’ and a Rollin’,” which recounts the influx of Northerners brought South by the Frank case. Michael Tatlock is in fine voice as Governor John Slaton in “Pretty Music,” a lively dance number which precedes Judge Roan’s moving plea to Slayton to commute Frank’s sentence (“Letter To The Governor”).

Though Parade is the epitome of an “ensemble show,” showcasing each and every member of the cast (which also includes the uniformly fine Rachel Baumstein, Laura Hathaway, Lizzie Jester, Alison Matizza, Rachel Mereness, Leslie Morris, Jessica Plotkin, Michael Prohaska, Gordon Wells, and USC’s dynamic duo Keith Barletta and Ian Littleworth), it is the roles of Leo and Lucille Frank which provide Parade’s heart and emotional punch.

In D’Amico, featured on Broadway in a pair of revivals (Annie Get Your Gun and Fiddler On The Roof), director Schwind has found a performer of depth and power, with the acting and vocal chops (and star quality) to turn this odd, reserved outsider from anti-hero to hero. It is a performance that starts out strong and only gains in power, climaxing in Parade’s devastating yet inspiring finale.

Recent Loyola Marymount grad Emily Olson’s youth and petite stature make Lucille Frank’s transformation from shrinking violet to her husband’s greatest advocate and near savior all the more powerful. Though Olson’s lovely un-miked voice does not always carry above the orchestral accompaniment, her performance is one of grace and strength.

Actually, Olson is not the only performer impacted by Parade’s being staged without amplification. The Neighborhood Playhouse’s acoustics and the size of the upstage (mostly hidden) orchestra do occasionally make dialog and vocal solos hard to hear, yet miking the performers might have proved equally problematic.

The Neighborhood Playhouse’s home at Palos Verdes’ historic Neighborhood Church does prove itself an ideal venue in at least one important respect. Its architecture and layout make for an easy transformation (thanks to Michael Tushous’s inventive scenic design) into a 1913 Georgia courthouse, ceiling fans and all.

Under Schwind’s inspired direction, most cast members never leave the stage, observing when not the focus of attention, transforming the set into numerous locales, singing, dancing, bringing history to life. Schwind’s creative use of silhouetted figures behind the upstage courtroom backdrop also proves effective, as in a chain-gang prison sequence as well as in a fantasy song-and-dance number in which Frank (sporting devil horns) seduces Mary. Though Parade runs a full three hours (including intermission), there isn’t a boring moment in it. Quite the contrary, despite our knowledge of the tragic outcome of Frank’s case, we remain riveted, and with Brown’s eclectic score including numerous upbeat, uptempo numbers and Qinonez’s choreography demonstrating the cast’s assured footwork, there are many bright moments amidst the somber reality of Frank’s trial.

David Sateren’s musical direction is impeccable, and what small theater musical ever has an orchestra of this size? Karen Cornejo’s costumes, designed and executed specifically for this production, are an exquisite medley of early 20th Century fashion and styles. Alicia Harrek’s lighting, Tushous’ set, Michael Aldapa’s hair design, and the contributions of everyone involved in this production are deserving of the highest praise.

Anyone who loves the art form that is the American Musical owes it to him/herself to drive to Palos Verdes (the ocean view from the cliffs alone is worth making the trip) to see this landmark show, done full justice by The Neighborhood Playhouse’s absolutely heartrending and breathtaking production.

The Neighborhood Church, 415 Paseo Del Mar, Palos Verdes Estates. Through July 27. Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00. Sundays at 7:30 except Sunday July 27, which is at 2:00). Additional performance on Thursday July 24 at 8:00.
Reservations: 800-595-4849 or www.NeighborhoodPlayhouse.net.

--Steven Stanley
July 11, 2008

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 4:09pm

Here's One more Review :)

'PARADE' marches to a remarkable beat
by Jim Farber Theater Critic
Article Launched: 07/14/2008 07:56:27 PM PDT


There are two remarkable things about the Neighborhood Playhouse's production of the 1998 musical "Parade" by playwright Alfred Uhry and composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown, on stage in Palos Verdes Estates through July 27.

One: that a small fledgling company would take on the Los Angeles-area premiere of this complex and controversial musical about anti-Semitism in America in the early years of the 20th century - and succeed so brilliantly.

Two: that this all but unknown organization, led by director Brady Schwind and music director David Sateren, is willing to go where major presenters such as the Center Theatre Group, Pasadena Playhouse and South Coast Repertory have feared to tread.

For that adventurous spirit alone, Schwind and company deserve a mighty "Bravo!" But what makes their achievement even more impressive is the degree to which this production triumphs as a searing piece of musical theater.

"Parade" focuses on a pivotal, though mostly forgotten, tragic event in American history - the 1913 trial, conviction (and lynching) of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in Atlanta, Ga., who was falsely accused of raping and murdering his 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan. She was elevated to the stature of an angel. He, "the Yankee Jew" was branded as the devil incarnate.

The incendiary nature of the crime and the firestorm of media coverage that followed it captivated the nation and resulted, simultaneously, in the birth of the Anti-Defamation League and the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan.
This is definitely not "Cats!"

Uhry ("Driving Miss Daisy") created a book that melds the painful legacy of the Civil War (the title refers to the parades that celebrate Confederate Memorial Day, April 26, 1865) to the cultural conflicts of the "New South" as factories replaced agriculture, child labor was the norm and prejudice against blacks and Jews was prevalent.

At the same time, Uhry's script paints a fascinating portrait of the conflicted relationship between Frank (Craig D'Amico) and his culturally assimilated Jewish Georgia Peach of a wife, Lucille, (Emily Olson).

Written and composed when Brown was little more than a kid in his mid-20s, "Parade's" music and lyrics provide a rich diversity of colors that make this tragedy emotionally wrenching, but at the same time, surprisingly enjoyable.

The music melds together a crazy quilt of Americana from patriotic marches and chain-gang blues, to high-stepping fox trots, sonorous ballads and a pair of grotesque vaudeville numbers, all underpinned by a Phillip Glass/Stephen Sondheim sense of repeated phrases and melodic riffs.

The large cast of 28 (which combines Equity and non-Equity actors) is solid, with individualistic performances accentuated by Schwind's continuously inventive stage pictures and Imara Quinonez's choreography.

Musically and dramatically, the weight of the production rests with D'Amico and Olson.

D'Amico offers a scary portrait of Frank as a severely repressed man who drives his workers like a plantation overseer, is inept socially and intellectually scornful of Southerners in general. It is the evolution of his character, ending with his (all but unwatchable) on-stage lynching, that gives D'Amico's performance so much power.

Olson's sensitively rendered performance also follows a powerful arch, as she gradually takes on the political activist role of saving her falsely convicted husband.

In the strong ensemble, James Larsen stands out as the opportunistic reporter, Britt Craig; as do Michael Hovance as the career-advancing prosecuting attorney, Hugh Dorsey; Michael Prohaska as the "good ol' Boy" defense attorney, Luther Rosser; Loren Smith as the suspected nighwatchman, Newt Lee; Tareek Lee Holmes as the false witness, Jim Conley; and Alissa Anderegg as poor Mary Phagan.

The skillful set design is by Michael Tushaus, the excellent period costumes by Karen Cornejo, the lighting by Alicia Harrek.

"Parade" is a must-see musical that resounds with powerful political and social messages - some strident, some subtle. Ultimately, it poses the quintessential question of social conscience: "Where you gonna stand when the flood comes?"

The other question is why did it take so long for "Parade" to arrive?

[BroadwayBaby6]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 5:29pm

I saw the opening night performance and was very impressed. The band, the acting, the direction and the staging were all wonderful. My only complaint is the lack of air-conditioning in the hall- even though the playhouse/church is on the ocean, the theatre was a bit stuffy so make sure to wear short sleeves.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/15/08 at 5:46pm

"Is it going to be like RENT Remixed? That would certainly be a new take on PARADE."

Sorry. Just saw that. Not at all. LOL...RENT Remixed was so bad.



Maybe it would be interesting to orchestrate it for a marching band. Like the kind of band you'd have in a parade.

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 10:09pm

There was no matinée performances so I couldn't see your show while I was in LA. I even mapped it out. Good luck in getting it to Broadway. I'm moving closer to New York next year so hopefully I will get to see it on the big stage. The pictures look great and it really was my loss having to miss it.

[B3TA07]

Posted: 7/17/08 at 10:59pm

"Good luck in getting it to Broadway."


Where the hell did anyone say they were hoping for the production to go to Broadway?! WTF