"Parade" musical comes to Boston, tells the story of a dark chapter in American history
A dark chapter in American history is front and center in the Tony Award-winning musical "Parade," which is now playing in Boston.
The powerful piece tackles difficult themes of antisemitism and racism in early 20th-century Georgia. The story focuses on a Jewish man, convicted of a vicious murder.
Themes of antisemitism and racism
"It's important for any young person who's coming to see our show to understand the story and learn more about this slice of history that's so overlooked," said Max Chernin, who plays Leo Frank.
In 1913, Frank was a factory manager in Atlanta. When a teenage employee was found dead in the building, Frank was questioned, charged, tried, and convicted. When the governor commuted his death sentence, a mob kidnapped Frank and lynched him.
"Incidents like this don't happen in a vacuum," said Talia Suskauer, who plays Frank's loyal wife, Lucille. "They happen surrounded by people in communities that allow for this to happen."
Chernin said the music drives the story.
"We just have the most spectacular cast of voices that I've worked with in a long time," said Chernin. "I think this is, we've said before, one of the best American musical theater scores of the last couple decades."
When "Parade" first debuted on Broadway in 1998, it didn't last long. Susakauer explained that a quarter century later, things are different.
Topics still feel relevant
"This is not a piece of history. These real feelings and emotions and the rise in both racism and antisemitism today, they make this story unfortunately relatable and relevant," said Suskauer.
During Frank's trial, newspaper stories fueled by rumor and speculation helped turn Frank's community against him. Chernin told WBZ-TV there are lessons in that today.
"I hope that everyone's a little bit more careful about where they're absorbing their information from," said Chernin. "I hope that we're taking time to see the humanity in all of us."
Suskauer said she's grateful for the chance to bring the show to Boston and perform at the Emerson Colonial Theater.
"You can feel the history within the walls," said Suskauer. "To tell a piece of American history in a historical space is an incredible gift."
The cast said they know the show can be heavy but Suskauer said that's the point.
"I think oftentimes when we're watching difficult art, it can be easy to just say, oh, it's okay, it's not real. What I'm watching is fake. The scary thing that I'm watching is fake. The disturbing thing I'm watching is fake. And I think that this almost assaults the audience with, actually, this is all real," said Suskauer.
"We're so lucky now to be the keepers of his story," said Chernin. "We get to tell his story, so bringing it to more people that don't know about it is the gift, is that kind of freedom that I hope he was searching for."
"People need time to sit with it and process it," said Suskauer. "And that's not a bad thing. People are just, you've been moved and what is great art, what is the point of great art if not to move people, right? And that's what we're doing here."
"Parade" can be seen at the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston through Sunday, March 23.
