"All the wasted time" - Brent Carver and Carolee Carmello as Leo and Lucille Frank

Parade was the only show I saw while we were in New York that I knew next to nothing about before the show started. With Titanic and The Scarlet Pimpernel, I had heard the cast recordings so many times and seen scenes from the shows on Rosie and the Tonys and such that I almost felt like I *had* already seen the shows, and I know every note of The Sound of Music, so it was a treat to go to the show not knowing how the overture would start or even what the characters were named. That hasn’t happened for a long time. And Parade was such a pleasant surprise.

No review of the show would be proper without beginning by mentioning Brent Carver. His performance as the main character, Leo Frank, was simply enthralling. The fact that he didn't win a Tony for this performance is one of the biggest oversights in the history of the Tonys! (And don't get me started on the show itself losing to a dance recital. :-) Mr. Carver is riveting as Leo - his singing is gorgeous and his acting is superb. There was never a second where he wasn’t completely and totally in character, and his final statement during the trial at the end of Act One (“It’s Hard to Speak my Heart”) was breathtaking. And his “Come Up To My Office” was one of the funniest moments I’ve ever seen on stage, but you sort of had to be there. :-) Although Mr. Carver’s performance alone was worth the price of the ticket, he certainly was not the only reason to see the show. It took me a few minutes to warm up to Carolee Carmello as Leo’s wife, Lucille, but I think that was more the character than the actress. Ms. Carmello certainly had broken my heart by the final scene. I also have to mention Herndon Lackey as the D.A., Hugh Dorsey, and Rufus Bonds, Jr., as Jim Conley - both gave phenomenal performances. And the younger members of the cast were absolutely fantastic - Christy Carlson Romano as Mary Phagan, Brooke Sunny Moriber, Abbi Hutcherson and Emily Klein as the factory girls, and especially Kirk McDonald as Frankie Epps. If this is the future of Broadway, and musical theatre in general, the future is in good hands.

The music and lyrics for Parade were written by Jason Robert Brown, a gentleman I had never heard of before, and who is making his Broadway debut with this show. With very few exceptions, I found the music excellent, and at times very moving. I was especially moved by the funeral scene in Act One (“There is a Fountain / It Don’t Make Sense”) and the Finale had me in tears. Other musical numbers that stand out for me include “Where Will You Stand When the Flood Comes?” (although I kept waiting for them to shout “Kill the beast!” :-), and “This Is Not Over Yet.” The sets and costumes were very well done, and I especially liked the use of trap doors instead of flies and wings to do nearly all of the set changes. Very different, and very effective.