Guest review by Suzanne Graham Paire
Published Friday, February 3, 2012, 2:44 PM
The Wilmington Drama League (WDL) is presenting the musical Parade, directed by Chris Turner (Rent, Assassins), through next Saturday, February 11.
The original production of Parade, featuring lyrics and music by Jason Robert Brown and a book by Alfred Uhry, and directed by Harold Prince, opened on Broadway in 1998, receiving several Tony Awards.
Parade is the agonizing story of Leo Frank, a 29-year-old Jewish man from New York City who relocated to Atlanta in the early 1900s in order to marry and work as the superintendent of a pencil factory. His unfair trial and the subsequent travesty that occurred was the catalyst in 1913 for the creation of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a Jewish protection organization (which has morphed today into a group with an ultimate objective, according to its current charter, of "secur[ing] justice and fair treatment for all citizens via the law, if necessary").
This cast presents a focused, seamless, energetic, passionate production of Parade. It is well worth a night out and the $20 ticket fee ($17 for students and seniors; $11 for children ... note: the show contains adult situations and adult language) is worth the price.
There were for the most part no major shortcomings in the Opening Night performance of Parade this reviewer attended. Whilte the members of the cast demonstrate strong vocal and acting skills, the dancing (of which there is not much) featured some uncomfortable efforts. That, however, is simple to overlook due to the brevity of the dancing as well as the mesmerizing vocals.
Brendan Sheehan and Rebecca Gallatin were partiularly marvelous, offering superb vocals and acting Christina Wyatt is wonderful. Leading the Ensemble in the first and last scenes by singing “The Old Red Hills of Home,” Benjamin Walker does an excellent job in a moving song. Jeffrey Santoro, Patrick Sutton, Jason Tokarski, George and Fletcher III all add greatly to the show’s success; Sutton and Fletcher seem to possess their own extra doses of charisma and appeal.
The set -- of pictures of 1913 Atlanta, Frank and related images -- is projected on the back wall of the theatre with varying, yet sparse, props. It works, as one's focus is the characters, who are more than capable of keeping attention throughoug the entire two-hour performance.
A poignantly orchestrated scene involves the song “Factory Girls”; it is easy to hate what they are singing about but love how they are singing it.
The development of Frank’s character involves his growth as a husband, even from his jail cell. The tender lyrics in “All the Wasted Time," combined with Sheehan’s poignant portrayal and Gallatin’s superb talent, makes this a most excellent, moving scene.
Most moving of all was Leo Frank’s strength in Scene 9, as demonstrated by his last words: “I don’t understand God’s plan for me, but I am convinced it has a purpose.” True to life or not, Uhry’s interpretation of Frank’s faith is profound and compelling. It gives Leo Frank’s tragedy purpose in the creation of the ADL (at least during that time when the ADL was genuinely dedicated to protecting Jews).
Next up at the WDL will be And a Child Shall Lead (April 19 – 22).
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