‘PARADE’: Micaela Diamond & Ben Platt. Photo: Joan Marcus.

PARADE
Book by Alfred Uhry
Music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Conceived by Harold Prince
Directed by Michael Arden
Through August 6, 2023
Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre
242 West 45^th Street
(212-239-6200), https://paradebroadway.com/

By David NouNou

A lot has happened since Parade originally opened in 1998 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre. In its original form, it was compelling theatre; now it is very difficult to sit through. Not that the subject matter has changed—it’s the times that have changed. If anything, Parade is more relevant today than it was back then. Watching antisemitism in full display now, bigotry, the state of Georgia currently in turmoil and making headlines about an injustice perpetrated by a former president—plus, the divisiveness that is splitting the country on so many different issues—there is a lot to process here.

The story is set in Georgia, the time is 1913-1915, and it is about the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl, Mary Phagen (Erin Rose Doyle), and the subsequent arrest, trumped-up trial, unjust sentencing and lynching of a Jewish factory superintendent, Leo Frank (Ben Platt).

Leo Frank moved from Brooklyn to Atlanta to be with his Southern Georgian Jewish wife, Lucille (Micaela Diamond), whose uncle offered Leo a superintendent’s job and hopefully a better life to be able to raise a family. He is totally uncomfortable in this environment because he is Jewish and feels out of place. It is Memorial Day 1913: Mary Phagen (Miss Doyle), has come to the pencil factory on a Saturday for her weekly pay of $1.20. The next day she is found dead in the basement of the factory. The suspects at the time are the black janitor, Newt Lee (Eddie Cooper) and Leo Frank.  Prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (Paul Alexander Nolan) is coerced by Tom Watson (Manoel Felciano), a writer for The Jeffersonian, an extremist right-wing newspaper, and conspire to release Newt Lee reasoning “hanging another Negro ain’t enough this time. We gotta do better.”

Leo is sentenced to jail to eventually hang. His wife Lucille goes to Governor Slaton (Sean Allan Krill) to show the inconsistences of the trial, which Slaton reluctantly looks over, and ultimately finds enough evidence of conspired lying decides to transfer Leo to another jail, only to be hauled away at night by “rebels seeking revenge” and hanging him.

The book by Alfred Uhry is fascinating and intriguing, while the score by Jason Robert Brown is too lugubrious and unmemorable. For such an intense subject matter, the play could have used more book and less score to make the point of injustice more effective. You yearn for the scenes that have Leo and Lucille speaking frankly to each other or Lucille making her point to Governor Slaton. Originally directed by Harold Prince, director Michael Arden has taken a darker approach to the proceedings. It’s apropos for the times.

What mesmerized me most and made the evening more tolerable was Ben Platt. With the role of Leo Frank, he has finally shed his teenage persona of Evan Hansen, and taken the mantle of Broadway’s next leading man. He is so convincing as Leo that I could not see a sign of Evan. He is solid, as an actor and a singer and genuinely believes in his role.

Two other performances that leapt out were Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank, her unrelenting pursuit to exonerate her husband and the love behind her motives are palpable. The other performance is from Sean Allan Krill as Georgia Governor Slaton, with his commanding voice and charming Southern gentility; he delivers genuine compassion in trying to resolve this heinous case. The rest of the cast is the usual stereotypes one would find in the South.

Parade is making a meaningful and lasting impression on this year’s theatrical season. It’s mirroring the times in which we live.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 22, 2023
Reviewed at March 21, 2023 press performance.

‘PARADE’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: (left to right) William Michals, Jackson Teeley, Paul Alexander Nolan, Eddie Cooper & Max Chernin. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Alex Joseph Grayson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Jay Armstrong Johnson & Jake Pedersen. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Erin Rose Doyle & Jake Pedersen. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Paul Alexander Nolan & Alex Joseph Grayson. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Benn Platt. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Manoel Felciano. Photo: Joan Marcus.

‘PARADE’: Stacie Bono & Sean Allan Krill. Photo: Joan Marcus.

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‘THE CHER SHOW’: Stephanie J. Block (center) & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

THE CHER SHOW
Book by Rick Elice
Directed by Jason Moore
Choreographed by Christopher Gattelli
Neil Simon Theatre
250 West 52nd Street
(877-250-2929), www.thechershowbroadway.com

By David NouNou

There is so much to enjoy in The Cher Show that it is a shame they couldn’t get it absolutely perfect, and there is a valid reason. The major difficulty is Cher is a living legend with a career that has spanned almost 55 years. You get to see her ups and downs, her hits and her misfires but throughout it she has always seemed to be the most resilient person in show business. The woman has led 100 lives and it is impossible to compress all of it adequately into a two-and-a-half-hour format.

There are three ladies playing Cher: Star, the older Cher magnificently portrayed by Stephanie J. Block. Lady, the young adult Cher admirably played by Teal Wicks, and Babe, the starter Cher simulates a young Cher. There is always a problem when your central character is portrayed by three different actresses; case in point the abysmal Summer: The Donna Summer Musical. Whereas that musical bio was offensive and inaccurate in so many ways, this show aims to deliver the goods and please. However, like that show, it is very difficult to sustain interest in three people portraying different stages of a diva’s life. One can capture the look, one can capture the sound, or one can capture the essence. An incredible feat but Ms. Block meets all the requirements.

Rick Elice’s book attempts to encapsulate this legend’s lifetime but ends up being a bit schizophrenic. It is clever, smart and witty but also comes to a screeching halt in scenes when the three Chers are talking to each other and giving each other advice at different stages in their respective lives. It would have worked so much better if just older Cher commented/narrated about the different stages of her life and didn’t interact with the other two but merely observed and commented while the other two played their parts and finally the three would merge as one triumphant, legendary Cher.

When there is an extensive songbook as voluminous as Cher’s, it is difficult to juggle a musical to fit historically with the songs that the artist did in a proper chronological order. A lot will drop by the wayside, some will be marginalized, and then you have ballads that bring you down from the euphoric high from the previous scene. Believe me, there are many gleeful scenes; to mention just a few the Bob Mackie fashion parade is a show-stopping eye popper. “Dark Lady,” a song usually song by Cher, is given to Sonny (Jarrod Spector), Cher’s first husband and Svengali and Greg Allman (Matthew Hydzik), her second husband, as a sing-off on who will ultimately win Cher back, but the real dazzler in the number is the dancer Ashley Blair Fitzgerald; she’ll have you jumping out of your seat.

All the highlights are here: the songs, her mother Georgia Holt (Emily Skinner) who imbues her daughter with confidence, the men in her life Sonny Bono, Gregg Allman, and even Rob “the bagel boy” Camilletti (Michael Campayno), the costumes, the glitz and the boys. There is something to be enjoyed by everyone.

Another major problem here is the pacing. For every showstopping number, it quickly fizzles into the trio of women talking to each other and ultimately a dirge ballad is sung, thus bringing the proceedings down and you have to climb back up. The problem here is Jason Moore’s direction. Usually Mr. Moore (who directed such Broadway hits as Shrek and Avenue Q) is always on top of things, but the narrative and execution here needs fine-tuning. Why? When dealing with a blockbuster story about such an icon, the unfolding of the plot must always be concise and should never be allowed to lag. Go big or don’t bother. He had the wonderful choreographer Christopher Gattelli to assist him and a great ensemble of dancers at his disposal that could have kept the proceedings sparkling all night long.

Besides Bob Mackie’s costumes, there is the indomitable Stephanie J. Block. The woman shines in her best musical performance to date. Just go see the show, overlook the weak spots and be prepared to be dazzled.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published December 7, 2018
Reviewed at December 6, 2018 press performance.

‘THE CHER SHOW’: (left to right) Teal Wicks, Stephanie J. Block & Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector & Micaela Diamond. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector & Teal Wicks. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Jarrod Spector as Sonny Bono. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Micaela Diamond & cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: Michael Berresse as Bob Mackie. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

‘THE CHER SHOW’: The cast. Photo: Joan Marcus

Cher performs onstage with the cast of ‘The Cher Show’ on opening night at Neil Simon Theatre on December 3, 2018 in New York City. Photo: Jenny Anderson/Getty Images for The Cher Show

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