Emma Berge demands a transfer for this rousing, brilliantly acted musical.
Parade, Jason Robert Brown’s first Broadway musical, was a hit with the critics, winning two Tonys and six Drama Desk awards with its strong book and undeniably brilliant score. But it wasn’t a hit at the box office, closing two months after it opened. It’s a doozy: why is something that good just not that popular?
It may have something to do with the subject: it’s not a bad subject, but it certainly isn’t jolly. Based on a true story, Leo Frank, a Brooklyn Jew living in 1913 Georgia, is accused of the murder of a thirteen year old girl. When Mary Phagan is found in the basement of his pencil factory, a power play and media storm lead to his trial.
The show opens with a rousing anthem: Samuel J Weir, good throughout in different roles, leads the ensemble in some goosebump-raising harmonies and makes the audience feel that, in general, the hills of Georgia are pretty great. Leo Frank (Alastair Brookshaw) doesn’t feel quite so patriotic, working through the Memorial Day parade instead of celebrating with his wife Lucille (a fabulous Laura Pitt-Pulford – more on her in a moment).
Brookshaw is wonderful as the bespectacled Leo with jittery hands and snobbish aloofness – although the tragic hero of this piece, he isn’t immediately likeable. “This will be in the newspapers, won’t it?” he asks when shown the body. “It’ll look bad for the company”.
What follows is a touching funeral and a community’s determination to see Leo hanged. After a strong start, the ensemble continue to be brilliant under Thom Southerland’s direction. It can be a little overstaged at times and the choreography can get intrusive, but the production as a whole is well thought out and smoothly executed.
Leo’s only supporter is his wife, who I’ll proceed to rave about for a paragraph. Pitt-Pulford has an incredible voice – the part of Lucille is an especially demanding sing for any actress, but she pulls it off effortlessly, and her strong vocal ability never wavers. Her rendition of the angry “You Don’t Know This Man” in particular is moving – I want it on my iPod so I can put it on repeat.
The only niggle with an otherwise brilliant production is that it doesn’t quite hit that emotional g-spot. It’s sad, but it’s not heartbreaking. The book by Alfred Uhry amd lyrics by Jason Robert Brown are good – playing on the ambiguity of the crime, hinting on the wider social factors – but they don't give the audience a definite reach-for-your-hankies moment.
The Broadway production may not have been long-running, but hopefully this won’t be the case at the Southwark Playhouse. The cast is great and the music has the tingle factor – if it doesn’t drown under the weight of the feather-light, fun and fluffy West End musicals, it definitely deserves a transfer.
Parade runs at Southwark Playhouse until 17th September.
Image by Annabel Vere
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