Tragedy is never an easy story to tell, let alone turn into a musical. In order for the piece to work it must have a heart, a reason, a redeeming quality which provides insight as to why the story is being told. Ford’s Theatre’s current production of Parade does have a heart. Unfortunately it doesn’t arrive until mid-way through Act II, at which point the audience begins to wonder about the show’s motives, aside from reminding America of it’s troubled past involving race relations.
Parade is a musical based on the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman falsely convicted for murder in Atlanta shortly before World War I. Act I focuses on Leo’s life before the murder, his trial, the community’s reaction and the district attorney’s crusade to convict him at any cost. All these aspects should combine to make a powerful first act filled with emotional songs and great dramatic moments; however that’s where Parade falls flat. For all that effort the first act proceeds like any other tragedy where racism and antisemitism is involved, full of anger and misunderstandings.
Ironically, the show find’s its core in Act II by shifting focus away from Leo’s trials and tribulations to those of his wife Lucille. The audience sees a wife passionately pleading with the governor to reexamine her husband’s case and steadfastly defending his innocence. Lucille’s actions should provide the audience with a character to cheer for, however her motives leave the audience confused. In Act I Lucille is shown as a southern housewife lamenting the state of her marriage, and Act II she is crusader. No reason is really given for this transformation and the two acts seem disjointed.
Parade’s downfall is not its story, but rather how that story is told. The show contains no distinguishing features or messages, except to show what happened in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913. This is shocking considering that one of Parade’s co-conceivers is Hal Prince, whose productions of Cabaret in 1968 and Showboat in 1993 expertly incorporated the themes of racism and antisemitism. In both cases, each musical made a connection about how these beliefs affected the society in which the characters lived.
What is fascinating is that Parade opened within a year of Ragtime, another musical which looked at race relations in America during the early 1900’s. Both shows failed in their ability to communicate a meaningful message on race, however unlike Parade, Ragtime contained a fantastic score. For all its attempts, Parade is barely able to muster together 2 memorable songs. Even the show’s climax and conclusion seem musically confused with the action occurring on-stage.
The overall production, co-produced by Ford’s Theatre and Theater J, is wonderful. Jenny Fellner and Euan Morton are phenomenal in their respective roles as Lucille and Leo Frank. The set is simple yet effective, and the orchestra was a pleasure to hear. It’s unfortunate thought that with a captivating story and a solid production, Parade is still unable to find focus and in turn, its heart.
Parade is playing at Ford’s Theatre till October 30th. For tickets and information please visit: http://www.fordstheatre.org/