Parade in Charlotte, NC

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 6/25/06 at 12:13am

I just got back from a production of Parade at the CPCC summer theatre here in Charlotte, NC and the production was amazing. If anyone lives or is going to be in the Charlotte area between now and July 1st I would highly recommend going to see this show. You will not be disappointed. In many ways I felt this production was superior to both the orginal and national tour versions.

The talent was superb in all of the leads. There wasn't a single weak link. Jason Robert Brown's score was exceptionally sung and Uhry's book exceptionally acted. The actress playing Lucille had a clear beautiful voice, and it was nice to see Lucille played by someone close to what her actual age was at the time of the trial. Also, it helped to have actual southerners playing the southern roles. The accents were much more realistic and not so overexaggerated and fake. Much of the staging and set design was similar to the original. "This is Not Over Yet" was very close to the way it was staged on the Tony Awards.

The only downsides that I noticed were mostly sound issues. There were several times where the mics didn't work or the sound was distorted. Also, I felt that the orchestra could have been a bit stronger. In the points of the show were there are two or more distinct musical themes playing against one another -- like during the celebration after the trial at the end of Act I -- the sound was muddled so it was hard to tell what was going on. Although I will give them credit because this is one difficult score to play!

Finally, I was so excited to see this show being done. I feel its message and story is one that needs to be told. I spoke with the musical director, who I had worked with before, after the show and she said that they had been trying to do this show for several years. She said that some people were afraid of how it would be received here in the South. Well tonight the audience quickly stood up and applauded -- and there wasn't a dry eye in the theatre during "All the Wasted Time" -- so I think it has gone over well. Once again I highly recommend this show to anyone who will be in the area! I have included a link in case anyone is interested. Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

http://www1.cpcc.edu/announcements/cpcc-summer-theatre-to-present-parade

Updated On: 6/25/06 at 12:13 AM

[freeadmission]

Posted: 6/25/06 at 12:27am

ACK! If only I'd known about this sooner! Unfortunatly, now I'll not be able to see it.

*kicks self*