The gut-wrenching story of Leo Frank came to a close on Broadway on Aug. 6, 2023. Parade was first written by Alfred Uhry and came to Broadway in December 1998, receiving a Tony award for Best Book, Best Original Score and six Drama Desk Awards. After Parade closed on Broadway in February 1999, the musical hosted national tours and productions in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, 2023 marks its first comeback since the 1998 premiere, which ran for two months. Parade has aired on Broadway since Feb. 21, 2023 and recently performed its last show on Aug. 6th, 2023.
Parade stars Ben Platt, a former actor on Pitch Perfect (Benji Applebaum) and the Broadway show, Dear Evan Hansen (Evan Hansen). As a Tony, Grammy and Emmy award winner, Platt takes on the role of Leo Frank while his co-star, Micaela Diamond, acts as his wife Lucille Frank. The musical amplifies the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, who was accused and convicted of raping and murdering 13-year-old Mary Phagan.
Within Parade, Leo and Lucille Frank represent a Jewish couple trying to create a life together in Georgia. However, Leo is accused of rape and murder, thus pushing a test of faith, humanity and justice. As the trial was presented in the media, antisemitic tensions rose in Atlanta where Frank was working as a Jewish factory manager and Phagan as his employee. While Frank was tried, convicted and subsequently found innocent, he was unfortunately lynched in jail prior to his release.
Parade provides a sense of empathy. The musical overall encapsulates the feelings of love and hope that we have for one another. Overall, Parade is a beautifully written, riveting revival from 1998 and has been extremely successful in engrossing its audience. It is important to portray a show like this on Broadway in order to preserve the devastating story of Leo Frank. To this day, antisemitism still exists; even when the show was released on Broadway, countless antisemitic protests occurred against its production. Although Parade has closed on Broadway, there are numerous other captivating plays out for a limited time, such as Funny Girl featuring Lea Michele, & Juliet, Some Like It Hot and others.
