Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond to star in NYCC Gala presentation of Parade — Page 8

I might just be simple and/or easily pleased, but I really loved it. I’ve been in love with the OBC recording for years, and getting to see it performed live with a very capable cast and with JRB conducting (maybe the only perk to a high balcony seat was a great view of him the whole night) was a real gift. I never saw DEH, and have never been much of a Platt fan, but I thought he was very good, and Micaela and Alex Joseph Grayson were outstanding. And while I’m somewhat agnostic about how much an actor has to have in common with the character they’re playing, having two Jewish actors portraying the Franks was moving - especially for Sh’ma.

Updated On: 11/4/22 at 06:12 PM

Count me in the very small minority, but I found Micaela to be underwhelming in this. Her vocals, though pretty, almost entirely sat in a thick heady mix, and it sounded like she was copying Carolee’s inflections at times under the pretense of using a Southern accent. I found it to be a bit shrill and quiet all at once. Idk…I was very let down honestly. Nice acting performance, though.

People paying inflated prices for a very limited run of an an "event" of a little known show is very different then moving it to a proper broadway house and needing to fill 1000 plus seats on a nightly basis especially with the state of broadway as it is. I just don't see a transfer making any sense from a financial stand point.

VintageSnarker said: "SporkGoddess said: "As someone who read a LOT about the real life case (actually because I was so in love with this show), I can say that the show really oversimplifies the case too."

How do you feel about the alternate suspect the show basically indicts? I've only skimmed the wikipedia page so I'm curious about the oversimplification."

Oh man, there are entire books written about this case so this reply doesn't even begin to scratch the surface. But, to summarize, Jim Conley is a likely suspect. Governor Slaton's commutation of sentence letter is a great summary of some of the evidence that suggests it wasn't Frank and points to Conley, like the mention of the "night witch" in the letter that was found with Mary Phagan (a reference that was found in local black culture at the time) and evidence that the elevator shaft wasn't used, like Conley's testimony claimed. Another pretty convincing thing, assuming you believe it's true, is that a former factory boy named Alonzo Mann claimed as an old man on his deathbed--I think it was in the 1980s--that he actually saw Jim Conley carrying Mary Phagan's body, and didn't say anything because Conley threatened him. That's actually what led to Frank getting exonerated, although officially it was because the state failed to protect him.

I think it's also important to remember that, as much as anti-semitism played a role in this case, so did racism against black people. Conley was thought to be telling the truth because people didn't believe that a black man could make up and remember such a complex story.

If you're interested in reading more, And The Dead Shall Rise by Steve Oney is my favorite book on the topic. The Leo Frank Case by Leonard Dinnerstein is considered pretty seminal. Unfortunately, it is very easy to stumble into anti-semitism when looking up the case online, so you have to be careful. Mary Phagan's great-niece also wrote a book on why she thinks Leo Frank did it, which I read and was not impressed by.

Call_me_jorge said: "I haven’t read all the comments here, but does Arden utilize that Klansman trope of having a dead Leo put on a klansman robe?"

What? Why would Leo put on a Klansman robe- that would completely invalidate everything this show is trying to say?

Into the Woods is a much more appealing show to a general audience than Parade. This would be a very expensive production to transfer and could only, maybe possibly do so with Ben Platt’s name but even then I doubt a transfer would be viable financially. It would make most sense for this to be in a Roundabout season.

In short I adored this production!! Everybody's vocals were gorgeous, ensemble included, Ben Platt's acting was on pointe as it always is and Diamond was the perfect pair for him. Not a single person disappointed on that stage, they all put their entire hearts, bones and bodies into this production and it paid off.

Also I would like to add something many of you guys have been interested in: The first question at today's post-show TalkBack was "original cast recording when" which was responded to with a shrug, and then the director had then continued on to say they're hoping for a Broadway transfer, manifesting it even, but that him saying that is not a clue that it is. Will totally see it again if it does transfer!

Unrelated, but what was with the beggars for TICKETS outside the show? is that normal for NYCityCenter gala?

Dylan Smith4 said: "So if this does transfer, they would need a big theatre for this. Especially with Platt. Studio 54 could be a possibility if the Roundabouts are producing. Other possibilities could be the Broadway?"

Why would they want a big barn like the Broadway? Lets presume the same interest for Parade as there was for Into the Woods. The St James has already closed off the balcony entirely. If I were a producer, I would not take a gamble on an enormous theater, and would much rather bank on a hard-to-get ticket at the Hudson (or the Golden? American Airlines?)

Separate note: am I hearing right that in some productions Leo Frank is put in a Klan hood? How insanely, utterly offensive.

Saw the show this afternoon and definitely thought it was very good. Knew nothing of the story or the show other than the simplistic explanation of it being about a Jewish guy accused of a crime. The cast was uniformly excellent with Ben Platt being the weakest link. Standouts for me were Micaela Diamond and Alex Joseph Grayson.


There was a talkback after, so it was interesting to hear Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry talk about their experiences with Hal Prince and how Stephen Sondheim was supposed to write the music first, but when he couldn’t, they “got the kid.” The associate director who works with Michael Arden casually dropped that they didn’t want to give away all of their process so they can “save that for Broadway” to which he then clarified that they hadn’t actually heard anything about a move to Broadway, so he was “manifesting.” As much as I did enjoy this, Broadway doesn’t want depressing right now. The world is depressing and while I don’t want Broadway to be an amusement park, I think this is too close to a funeral. It’s moving, emotional and quite powerful in places, but it’s dark.

Updated On: 11/5/22 at 09:00 PM

Dylan Smith4 said: "So if this does transfer, they would need a big theatre for this. Especially with Platt. Studio 54 could be a possibility if the Roundabouts are producing. Other possibilities could be the Broadway?"

Roundabout is not producing, Ambassador Theatre Group and Seaview are. Studio 54 has an announced tenant for the spring.

The size of theatre is tricky depending on how long they would have Platt. This is a larger-scale show than WOODS, so someplace like the Hudson might be tough for their budget...but maybe Ambassador is planning it for the Hudson? And would Platt be able to handle 8 perfs a week (even though this role is a lighter lift than Evan)?

Parade at City Center = 25 in the orchestra and 27 actors onstage (est. 35 in the cast for Broadway when accounting for swings).

Woods = 16 in the orchestra and 27 actors (18 onstage + 9 swings).

Updated On: 11/5/22 at 09:54 PM

Saw this Yesterday and LOVED it!

Michaela Diamond is definitely the best part of this show. She's absolutely fantastic. I also didn't realize that she's only 23!!!! She has a LONG LONG LONG career ahead of her for sure!

I thought Ben Platt was really good too. I think my Mom got it best when she said that he's playing "grown-up Evan Hansen," but I don't exactly think that was a problem for this show.

The supporting cast was also amazing all around!

We were at the front of the balcony and it honestly might be the best seats for this show. We could see the whole stage and the orchestra. We went down to the orchestra section and it looked like it would have been an AWFUL view.

As far as a transfer, I think that they will probably go to a much smaller house than Woods. The Longacre or Hudson would be the top of my list for where I'd send it (that's open relatively soon).

Saw it last night and thought it was solid, but not extraordinary. I liked a lot of Michael Arden's choices.

I posted more detailed thoughts here