PARADE On Broadway - Reviews & News Thread- Page 22

[Pashacar]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 5:59pm

PipingHotPiccolo said: "KevinKlawitter said: "Article by Yair Rosenberg - Parade is a musical about anti-Semitism in which the anti-Semites steal the show—and that’s precisely why it works.

He also makes an interesting point that can be related to people feeling Ben Platt's performance is a weaker point - his role is more passive and limited by design."

The Atlantic is the best. This is an interesting spin on this show, but i think a little too forgiving. Uhry couldn't help but relegate the most fascinating characters (Conley, Minnie) to a song or two, and even has the Franks play second fiddle to the American White People. I loved this production, and I think Platt and Diamond are elevating their Jewish characters to the forefront. But as written? Its a fundamental miss for me, the way they open and close the show with the White Supremacists and give each of them their own big song."

Conley and Minnie the most fascinating characters? Why?

I agree with the article: letting the prejudiced Georgians eclipse everyone else is the whole reason the show works.

[goodtimes123]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 7:13pm

binau said: "What are your fav parts of Michaela’s performance?"

There are a few, but one that sticks out is during the reprise of "this is not over yet" where she slams the table and the look on her face as she sings "you see, you see..." gives me absolute chills. 

Subtle and succinct acting leading her powerhouse vocals makes her standout among many brilliant performances. 

I just love this production. 

[ashley0139]

Posted: 3/23/23 at 10:06pm

binau said: "What are your fav parts of Michaela’s performance?"

The part that has stuck with me is when everyone is celebrating the verdict and so happy around her and the devastation and complete aloneness that she portrays in that moment.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:35am

Was listening to the cast recording today, and while I loved the production at City Center, to me the album sounds a bit subdued?  I don't know if it's the mixing or just that I'm now used to the performances on OBC but something about it feels like it's just lacking that extra bit of edge or vibrancy to it, though everyone sings beautifully.  Either way though, glad this was able to get recorded, and I can't wait to see the show again.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 9:30am

Pashacar said: "PipingHotPiccolo said: "KevinKlawitter said: "Article by Yair Rosenberg - Parade is a musical about anti-Semitism in which the anti-Semites steal the show—and that’s precisely why it works.

He also makes an interesting point that can be related to people feeling Ben Platt's performance is a weaker point - his role is more passive and limited by design."

The Atlantic is the best. This is an interesting spin on this show, but i think a little too forgiving. Uhry couldn't help but relegate the most fascinating characters (Conley, Minnie) to a song or two, and even has the Franks play second fiddle to the American White People. I loved this production, and I think Platt and Diamond are elevating their Jewish characters to the forefront. But as written? Its a fundamental miss for me, the way they open and close the show with the White Supremacists and give each of them their own big song."

Conley and Minnie the most fascinating characters? Why?

I agree with the article: letting the prejudiced Georgians eclipse everyone else is the whole reason the show works."

I'm not necessarily disagreeing with the article's conclusion but watching it (and i think i said this here at the time) i found myself frustrated that we KEPT returning to different racist white men so that they could each give us their perspective. I mean 5-6 White characters get their own moments, on top of the big ensemble numbers for the rest of the White Georgians. It strikes me as a blind spot reminiscent of 20 yrs ago, when that perspective was given a voice louder than others.

And so the Franks get short shrifted -- as so the other characters I mentioned. Conley is given great songs, dont get me wrong (and Grayson runs away with them) but the book barely explores the fact that he, you know, almost definitely did it. And that the cops sorta knew that. And that the Gov was absolutely sure of it which is why he commuted Leo's death penalty.

And I mention Minnie, too, because the book sorta implies the Franks werent overly kind to her, and never explores the impossible position she was put in, how she was bullied into lying, how sorry she later said she was, etc. I'd much rather have heard more from Leo or Lucille, or Minnie, or Conley, or Georgia's sizable Jewish community (another complicated story), than hear old bitter racists pine for the Confederacy.

and i'm guessing if Uhry wrote this play now, we would have heard more from them, because progress. i dont begrudge him for writing like its 1998, but i sure noticed it.

Updated On: 3/24/23 at 09:30 AM

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 10:32am

Are the Jewish folks in PARADE not considered white characters nowadays? Very odd racial division you’re embracing…

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 10:45am

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Are the Jewish folks in PARADE not considered white characters nowadays? Very odd racial division you’re embracing…"

"Ummm, Jewish people are white" is not the response you think it is to "I wish that the persecuted and oppressed minorities in this musical got more stage time" 

[Observation]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 11:14am

goodtimes123 said: "Jordan Catalano said: "I saw this again tonight and left again a mess. Doesn't matter how many times I see this show, that Sh'ma wrecks me like very few other things do.

The show has gotten so much tighter in the past few weeks which I find fascinating since it was perfect at that first preview.

That Tony belongs to Diamond, I don't think anything could change my mind on that."



Could not agree more. Micaela's stunning and nuanced performance stayed with me for days after when the other performances (Victoria and Annaleigh) while great in their own right, just didn't strike me on the same level.

"

I saw Micaela in a very early preview of The Cher Show in Chicago and was enthralled by her! I hope she gets a Tony this year. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:25pm

Someone in a Tree2 said: "Are the Jewish folks in PARADE not considered white characters nowadays? Very odd racial division you’re embracing…"

this has to be a parody response, right?

 

[binau]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:34pm

I love that the show even manages to address a little bit of this complexity with "rumblin and a rollin", and in fact one of the characters describes Leo as a 'white man'. In the context of Black America I think Leo would probably be perceived as white and enjoy privileges they don't have but in the context of White America and anti-semitism Leo would not be white in the same way and considered an 'other'. 

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 3/24/23 at 12:42pm

binau said: "I love that the show even manages to address a little bit of this complexity with "rumblin and a rollin", and in fact one of the characters describes Leo as a 'white man'. In the context of Black America I think Leo would probably be perceived as white and enjoy privileges they don't have but in the context of White America and anti-semitism Leo would not be white in the same way and considered an 'other'."

Exactly. Rumblin and A Rolling is easily one of the best moments in the show, and exactly the sort of more interesting perspective about this story that is given 90 seconds only, by two characters who then disappear. Thats exactly the focus I want more of, and am sure we would get more of, if this was written now, not then.

To see Parade and walk away saying "the franks were white like everyone else" is to so spectacularly miss the entire point, it makes me want to scream.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 3/25/23 at 4:49pm

I think also what sort of encapsulates the idea that Jews were absolutely not seen as merely white back then, in the South, is the scene where they are complaining about the "Jew money" coming in to defend Leo Frank, and it has to be pointed out that Henry Ford probably doesn't have :Jew money".

[Theatrefan2]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 9:03am

Has there been any talk that Parade may extend further into autumn?

[Grace2001]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 7:22pm

SPOILER WARNING IN THIS QUESTION:

Can someone please tell me about the beginning (Young Soldier section of “Old Red Hills&rdquo. In his review for NYT, Jesse Green wrote that it began with sex. Just curious if this would be appropriate for a high school history class that has been studying the Leo Frank case.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 7:26pm

Grace2001 said: "SPOILER WARNING IN THIS QUESTION:

Can someone please tell me about the beginning (Young Soldier section of “Old Red Hills&rdquo. In his review for NYT, Jesse Green wrote that it began with sex. Just curious if this would be appropriate for a high school history class that has been studying the Leo Frank case."

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

It's truly just a framing device. There is no graphic sex. Two actors walk onstage, kiss, the lights go dark, and when the lights come back up the actors are laying on the ground. That's it. Definitely take students to this. I think it would be a great way to engage them in their studies of the historical events. 

 

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 3/26/23 at 7:30pm

This is just a SUBLIME evening of theatre. Flawlessly directed, designed, and performed. I am not a Ben Platt fan, but I have to admit that he did not bother me in the slightest, and he is actually doing some fine work. Micaela Diamond broke my heart in two with her performance.

This is just a strong musical all around - the material (book and score) is great, and Arden has a firm grasp on it. I think it this has Best Revival sewn up (and possibly a few others). I have seen all the revivals now except 1776, and this is by far my favorite. I think that Parade and Camelot are THE two shows to see this season.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 12:08pm

Max Chernin will be playing Leo Frank on May 19th and 20th, Ben Platt's scheduled absences. 

Good for him, but I'm confused. Isn't Ryan Vona the first cover as stand-by for Leo?

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 1:13pm

Theatrefan2 said: "Has there been any talk that Parade may extend further into autumn?"

I think that's dependent on three huge factors. 

1. It's selling well, but is is selling "sustain a 6-month run and then have the momentum to extend well?" I don't know. It obviously got great reviews and has phenomenal word of mouth, but only time will tell on that front. 

2. How well does it do at the Tonys? Best Revival wins have had mixed results for shows, but I don't think it will hurt. Individual acting wins also don't do much Ben, Micaela, and/or Alex winning combined with revival or director win could be a different story. 

3. Can they get their stars to stay and, if they can't, can they get replacements that will sell tickets?

[Alex M]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 5:49pm

I'm also interested if Parade wins best revival and they decide to tour this production how it would be conceived across the US, specifically in the south.

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 3/27/23 at 5:52pm

Alex M said: "I'm also interested if Parade wins best revival and they decide to tour this production how it would be conceived across the US, specifically in the south."

Kind of like "sexy Oklahoma!". It could go either way. People could really embrace it, or be totally turned off. 

[Ensemble1680343767]

Posted: 4/1/23 at 11:21am

Ben Platt on Judaism, Anti-Semitism, and Dying Onstage

https://newsletters.theatlantic.com/deep-shtetl/641c6dfed18ff80037f5eb02/ben-platt-parade-interview-yair-rosenberg-jews/

I found many parts of this interview to be poignant, particularly Ben's thoughts on singing the Shema each night.   

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/1/23 at 12:22pm

It's also important to include "Rumblin' and a Rollin" imo because the Leo Frank trial had pretty big implications for race relations in that area. It was the first time a white man was convicted on the testimony of a black man. In fact, the people were convinced that Conley couldn't be lying because they thought a black man wasn't smart enough to consistently provide false testimony. But the fact that this white man was Jewish, of course, adds a far bigger layer of complexity. 

Speaking of this song, I was finally listening to the cast recording and it sounds like this version of the song no longer has Jim Conley participating, whereas the original did. Am I correct?

Also, did they cut "People of Atlanta"? Or is it just not on the cast recording?

Updated On: 4/1/23 at 12:22 PM

[TellZ]

Posted: 4/1/23 at 4:44pm

People of Atlanta was replaced by Hammer of Justice.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 4/1/23 at 8:14pm

For anyone in NY next week looking to see as many shows as possible, or if you just want to see the show again: Parade has a random Friday matinee on April 7th. 

Updated On: 4/1/23 at 08:14 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/1/23 at 8:25pm

It's April 7, which is Good Friday, and it's replacing the Wednesday matinee which would be on Passover.

Updated On: 4/1/23 at 08:25 PM