I have been looking for a vehicle to gush about Parade for quite a while now. Southampton University Musical Theatre group Showstopers decided to put it on as their main show and hit it out of the park. My only complaint was that not included on the ticket price was the warning that the show may induce immediate compulsion to go onto Itunes and purchace the whole soundtrack (Donmar Warehouse production). Still, totally worth it. I will admit, I thought the first act was weak, but the second act just took out my heart and shredded it through a blender. One standing ovation later I was in bits. I had read the background to the story before, thinking like everyone "whoa, and this is a musical?" but by the end of it all my doubts had been cast aside. On listening to the Donmar Soundtrack so many things spook me out just when I realise the clever connections that run through the story. The melodic mirrors of "The Old Red Hills of Home" and "Sh'ma" just freaked me out when I realised they were there, and "All the Wasted Time" just kills me everytime. I have so many other comments and opinions (all positive) but I think I have to stop for now.
So, I've been a fan of this show for a while, and lately I've been listening to the cast recording more, and I've been working on one of the songs from it.
It's one of my favorite musicals. It's a dark show, but it's also very moving.
If you're not familiar, here's the broadcast from the 1999 Tony Awards.