This might be a bold claim to make for a decade that had musicals as highly-esteemed as Beauty and the Beast,Rent,Assassins,Ragtime, and The Lion King. But I can say that I believe for certain that Parade eclipses all of them.
It is, perhaps, an unusual subject of a musical: a murder, a trial, and a subsequent lynching around the early twentieth century. A very grim and depressing story, yet the book by Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and the score by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years) are both very fitting and profoundly moving.
Parade tells the story of Leo Frank, a cold, unlikable Jewish man who manages a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. When one of the employees, the young Mary Phagan, is found murdered in the factory's basement, Leo is the prime suspect, and the subsequent media circus and sensational trial makes him an object of utter hatred for all in the community.
Through all of this is a (largely fictional) story about Leo's relationship with his wife, which starts as cold and impersonal but develops as the show progresses. An invented love story, perhaps, but that doesn't diminish its part in the play.
The score is filled with standout songs, from the dramatic "It's Hard to Speak My Heart," the ominous "Hammer of Justice," to the rousing-yet-chilling "Old Red Hills of Home." It's a show full of tear jerkers, especially if under a cast of skilled singing actors.
There are two recordings available: the original Broadway cast recording, and the London Donmar Warehouse recording. The Donmar Warehouse version is perhaps more "definitive," as it contains all the show's dialogue and reflects the show as it is currently licensed and performed. The original is not to be passed up, however, for its performances, particularly from its leads.
This is not a play that is performed very often, due to its subject matter and obscurity, but it it still an amazing piece of theatre that should not be missed. If you find a local production of it playing, you should see it.
Also, there's no "Theatre" or "Play" review type. I think TVTropes should probably fix that...
Theatre The Best Musical of the 1990s.
This might be a bold claim to make for a decade that had musicals as highly-esteemed as Beauty and the Beast, Rent, Assassins, Ragtime, and The Lion King. But I can say that I believe for certain that Parade eclipses all of them.
It is, perhaps, an unusual subject of a musical: a murder, a trial, and a subsequent lynching around the early twentieth century. A very grim and depressing story, yet the book by Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and the score by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years) are both very fitting and profoundly moving.
Parade tells the story of Leo Frank, a cold, unlikable Jewish man who manages a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia. When one of the employees, the young Mary Phagan, is found murdered in the factory's basement, Leo is the prime suspect, and the subsequent media circus and sensational trial makes him an object of utter hatred for all in the community.
Through all of this is a (largely fictional) story about Leo's relationship with his wife, which starts as cold and impersonal but develops as the show progresses. An invented love story, perhaps, but that doesn't diminish its part in the play.
The score is filled with standout songs, from the dramatic "It's Hard to Speak My Heart," the ominous "Hammer of Justice," to the rousing-yet-chilling "Old Red Hills of Home." It's a show full of tear jerkers, especially if under a cast of skilled singing actors.
There are two recordings available: the original Broadway cast recording, and the London Donmar Warehouse recording. The Donmar Warehouse version is perhaps more "definitive," as it contains all the show's dialogue and reflects the show as it is currently licensed and performed. The original is not to be passed up, however, for its performances, particularly from its leads.
This is not a play that is performed very often, due to its subject matter and obscurity, but it it still an amazing piece of theatre that should not be missed. If you find a local production of it playing, you should see it.
Also, there's no "Theatre" or "Play" review type. I think TVTropes should probably fix that...