Every now and then a musical comes along that is at once beautifully entertaining, heart-breaking, and thought-provoking. Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics) and Alfred Uhry (book)'s Parade is one of those rare gems, and Ford's (along with Theatre J) does a brilliant job with it.
Going in, I knew little about the actual story. I have the soundtrack and think it's utterly beautiful - particularly "This is Not Over Yet" - but wasn't sure what to expect, plot-wise. The fantastically amazing cast, led by Tony-nominee Euan Morton and Jenny Fellner, swept me into the world so deftly, I barely felt the 2 hours and 45 minutes go by. Stirring ensemble songs and heartfelt solos brought me to tears, not to mention the end of the show. Seriously. I won't go into much of the story, since I hope you'll see it for yourself, but besides being an exquisite production, it also raised some interesting questions for me.
Early in the show, a young girl is murdered in the building where Leo Frank works. Several people are considered suspects, though Frank is the main one. Bear in mind that Leo is a college-educated Jewish man from Brooklyn, New York, living in Atlanta, Georgia. I don't know how much you know about Southerners, but we are not always the most welcoming people - especially of Yankees, and that bias was particularly prevalent during the 20s, when this show takes place. From the events shown, I wonder how many of the police officers on the case actually believed that Leo was guilty, and how many wanted him to be guilty because he was an outsider. There was nothing but circumstantial evidence surrounding the case, but that didn't stop anyone in the town from making Leo into the villain. If and when you see the show, let me know what your thoughts are - I'd be really interested to see if it raises the same questions for anyone else.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention a couple of utterly outstanding performances. Kevin McAllister, who plays several parts, was extraordinary. Each of his three different characters was well thought-out and completely separate from the others. He's also got an incredible voice which I very much hope to hear more of. If he doesn't get some kind of award for this show, that's literally going to be a crime. Also, Euan Morton as Leo Frank. You may or may not know that Euan is originally from Scotland and he's got the accent to prove it. While his Russian accent in Signature Theatre's production of Chess last year wasn't particularly up to snuff, you might be fooled into believing that he's actually a Jewish New Yorker with the accent he's got this time. It's also rather incredible to watch his character's journey through the length of the show. He starts in a very different place than where he ends up, particularly in his relationship with his wife, Lucille.
Overall, I am ecstatic that this show has come to DC, and Ford's does a very commendable job with a tough subject matter. 4.5 stars
Parade
book by Alfred Uhly
music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
directed by Stephen Rayne
Ford's Theatre
511 10th Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
September 23 - October 30
DISCOUNTS!
Ford's Theatre offers a limited number of discounts for patrons age 35 and under. Tickets are $15 for Parade. Patrons may use the promo code UNDER35 when purchasing in advance through Ticketmaster at 800.982.2787 or www.fords.org. Limit of six per person.
Patrons must show ID at the Ford's Theatre box office. Ticketmaster orders will incur Ticketmaster order charges. Discounts are not available on previously purchased tickets, and are not available for groups of 20 or more.
Available dates for discounted tickets are:
October 2, 2pm and 730pm
October 4, 730pm
October 9, 2pm and 730pm
October 11, 730pm
October 16, 2pm and 730pm
October 23, 2pm and 730pm
October 25, 730pm
October 30, 2pm
Friday, September 30, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The Heir Apparent, Shakespeare Theatre Company
There's something awfully satisfying about kicking off a new season of theatregoing at the Shakespeare Theatre. After a long and stultifyingly dull summer, at last!- back to what I love. And what better way to start their 25th Anniversary Season of comedies than with a new David Ives transladaptation (his term, not mine) of a classic French comedy?
"The Heir Apparent" is an evening of great fun. I've spoken here on several occasions about the perils of modern verse adaptations- it's a delicate and tricky balance between making clever rhymes and falling into the overly self-consciousness. By and large, Ives succeeds in finding the balance between having fun and keeping the sense of things. He's also been very wise in how he's adapted events in the plot, particularly as he finds wonderful new moments for the talented cast assembled by director Michael Kahn.
Let's do speak of that cast. Floyd King's marvelously contorted face on the cover of the playbill is a glorious preview of what's to come. As ever, King has superb comic timing and displays masterly ability to raise a laugh with one long look or twitch of his face. He's well matched with Nancy Robinette; the only flaw in her performance is that there isn't more of it to enjoy.
There are also a trio of newcomers that deserve special attention in their STC debuts. Carson Elrod is, as they say, a hoot and a half (or do only I say that anymore?) as the witty and wily servant Crispin. Elrod is able to boom across the stage in larger than life disguises just as easily as he can dial his performance back down to normality and still hold the audience's attention. Andrew Veenstra as Crispin's employer, Eraste, more than holds his own in a role that might otherwise be overwhelmed by the size of the other comic performances on stage, and Kelly Hutchinson provides the necessary grounding in reality as the servant Lisette. If I had my druthers, I'd love to see these actors return to the STC stages in future productions.
For those familiar with their work, it should come as no surprise that the design of the show is fantastic, from Alexander Dodge's sets to Murell Horton's costumes. Michael Kahn's direction shows why he's earned his reputation in American theatre, and why his classical theatre company has thrived for twenty-five seasons. Well done, Mr. Kahn, and I can't wait to see what comes next. For all of our readers searching for a fun night out that combines high art and scatalogical jokes (and who ISN'T in the mood for that?), "The Heir Apparent" is just what you've been looking for.
"The Heir Apparent" is an evening of great fun. I've spoken here on several occasions about the perils of modern verse adaptations- it's a delicate and tricky balance between making clever rhymes and falling into the overly self-consciousness. By and large, Ives succeeds in finding the balance between having fun and keeping the sense of things. He's also been very wise in how he's adapted events in the plot, particularly as he finds wonderful new moments for the talented cast assembled by director Michael Kahn.
Let's do speak of that cast. Floyd King's marvelously contorted face on the cover of the playbill is a glorious preview of what's to come. As ever, King has superb comic timing and displays masterly ability to raise a laugh with one long look or twitch of his face. He's well matched with Nancy Robinette; the only flaw in her performance is that there isn't more of it to enjoy.
There are also a trio of newcomers that deserve special attention in their STC debuts. Carson Elrod is, as they say, a hoot and a half (or do only I say that anymore?) as the witty and wily servant Crispin. Elrod is able to boom across the stage in larger than life disguises just as easily as he can dial his performance back down to normality and still hold the audience's attention. Andrew Veenstra as Crispin's employer, Eraste, more than holds his own in a role that might otherwise be overwhelmed by the size of the other comic performances on stage, and Kelly Hutchinson provides the necessary grounding in reality as the servant Lisette. If I had my druthers, I'd love to see these actors return to the STC stages in future productions.
For those familiar with their work, it should come as no surprise that the design of the show is fantastic, from Alexander Dodge's sets to Murell Horton's costumes. Michael Kahn's direction shows why he's earned his reputation in American theatre, and why his classical theatre company has thrived for twenty-five seasons. Well done, Mr. Kahn, and I can't wait to see what comes next. For all of our readers searching for a fun night out that combines high art and scatalogical jokes (and who ISN'T in the mood for that?), "The Heir Apparent" is just what you've been looking for.
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