***** I think it has been 7 or 8 years since the Chicago area had an opportunity to see “Parade”, the heart-wrenching story about Leo Frank. The musical with a book by Alfred Uhry and Music & lyrics by Jason Robert Brown is now onstage at the CIBC Theatre. When last seen, it was at Writers on a much smaller scale, and the Broadway In Chicago production, which is the New York City Center touring company is a finely tuned well staged telling of a story that will have an affect on each and every patron.

The story is about a New York man who lives in Atlanta, running a business in the early 1900’s. This man, Leo Frank ( played to perfection by Max Chernin) is a Jew, living in the south at a time when the KKK was quite active. During this period of history, the South, in particular, Georga , was not a safe place for Negroes or Jews. In this story, it was circumstantial evidence and lots of paid for witnesses that convicted Mr. Frank and put him behind bars, sentenced to death.

Through the story, keenly directed by Michael Arden, we find that with the help of his wife, Lucille ( an incredible performance by Talia Suskauer) who goes to the governor ( ( deftly handled by Chris Shyer) for assistance, gets his sentence changed to life imprisonment instead of hanging. He is moved to a prison farm for his safekeeping as the people of the town still want him dead. I do not want to give away where the story goes, but it is a story that is still taking place over 100 years later.

This is a powerful look at where our country was after the Civil War and how, despite that war ending, there are still people in the south who are at war with the people who live north. We all know that anti-semitism still lurks in certain areas of our country, and of course racism is something that we see every day. Just listen to the news, read a paper, or check out the TV reporters. I think that no matter who you are, or what your religion is, this show will have some meaning for you. They say we should learn from our past and make the changes that will give us a better future. “Parade” does this well. I only hope that the audience members take that concept to the next level.

 

“Parade” will continue through Aug 17th with performances as follows: