‘Parade’ : MUSE Puts Injustice on Trial

Brendan Paul and Sarah Levins in PARADE.
Production photos: Keshav Unhelkar

MUSE, the musical society of Sydney University always puts on a terrific show and PARADE, their current production is no exception.  Spare and stark, the production delights on many levels but there is one deliciously thrilling aspect that really takes you by surprize … the birth of some future stars.  With work as good as this, uniform excellence across the leads and some truly enjoyable performances, it’s a big call but I’m making it anyway.

PARADE is written by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry.  It was nominated for, and won, a slew of Tonys and Drama Desk Awards.  It is based on true events that inspired the formation of the Anti-Defamation League and the resurgence of the KKK and begins and ends on Confederate Memorial Days, the parade of the title.  Leo Frank is a pencil factory manager.  It’s 1913 and he is a mild mannered Jewish man who is trying to keep his culture alive despite having relocated to Atlanta, Georgia.  When he and the factory’s Negro caretaker, Jim, are accused of the rape and murder of a young worker, the media of the time cover the trial in a sensational and lurid fashion.  Justice is not served.

The success of PARADE depends largely on the lead.  In this production Brendan Paul is Leo and he has star quality … it is a name to tuck away for later.   From his ability to hold notes and float them out to the audience to the excellence of his diction in the spoken elements of the song, he does a remarkable job vocally.  He can use his bottom register to effect but also whisper emotionally at the top.  And his acting is also breathtakingly honest.  I don’t know if he can dance but he is a double threat for sure.

His initial consternation through his change of body language as his life unravels to the point of his acceptance is an arc well-traveled.  He also steps out of himself in the court fantasy scene without breaking the audience’s belief.  There were so many of his moments which received no applause, just appreciative silence.

He would not, however, have the chance to bring the character fully to life without the excellence of his scene partner in wife Lucille. Sarah Levins … another name to remember.  Their relationship is absolutely clear from the first moment we meet them.  Her work in driving the change within him and the loss and grief we feel coming from her is such good acting.  And her voice is a real pleasure especially her command of the difficult nature of the music where spoken intersects with sung.

Her solo in Act 1 to the reporter was lovely, the phrasing just right and the top notes gentled and held with ease.  The reeds behind her adding to the lushness and sadness of the scene.  The way her love grows as she comes to strength is so well elucidated.  That picnic scene is a teary experience with these two wonderful artists at last together.

I also loved the rapport and chemistry of Sam Whitaker as Governor Slaton and his wife Sally, Laura Balboni.  They were so crisp together and their loving relationship was immediately evident and a creative counterpoint to when we first met Leo and Lucille, a small but vital detail.  And their singing and dancing in the ball scene was really skillful, that takes a lot of practice.  Well done.

And to Hamish Stening who has created a thoroughly despicable character in Hugh Dorsey, with a greasy smile he gives this role his all and it’s a pretty thankless role.  He is unredeemable by any account yet Stening lets us into his interior world and this is no cartoon villain.   Also revolting is Michael Kaufmann as Tom Watson, a bigot and bastard expressed with fire and stance and direct audience engagement. Speaking of bad guys, Nic Savage brings a good emotional range to his role as Frankie Epps and his work at the funeral was full and well moderated.  Fred Pryce also gives us a strong character in Britt Craig.

Naisa Lasalosi as Jim

Rounding out the male leads is Naisa Lasalosi as Jim and it’s a tricky role on a whole bunch of levels.  He has a strong, rich vocal tone, a great voice, but it’s his acting which engenders such audience empathy.  His use of body language to fold Jim up and later to open him out is terrific and the way he holds the stage at the end of the chain gang scene is thrilling to watch… those howling high notes cry with pain.

He is part of a trio just after interval with the superb voice of Stephanie Ampofo and equally great work from Samuel Asamoah which puts the injustice on display and it is so well executed.  As is the character of the dead girl’s mother.  Lucy Allen holds the audience with a strong emotional rendering, particularly in the court scene, with body language and voice.

Lucy Allen and Mrs Phagan with Hamish Stening as Dorsey.

All the leads do a fine job but they are well matched by stellar work of the chorus and orchestra under the hand of Su Hee Cho and Jeremy Kindl.  Thank heavens for the volume and strength of the chorus work at the beginning.  I totally missed the singing of Blake Cunio as the Young Confederate because of the poor audio mix and the horridly loud snare drum.  Luckily it settled, opening night teething pains probably, and the mix did not let the performers down again.  After that brash and discordant beginning, the orchestra has a chance to shine.  That throb behind the discovery of the body was perfectly played and the bass feel to add weight to the Prosecutor’s speech were excellent.

The lighting does the trick in most cases, the color on the cyc to match the clothing palette looked great and the controlled use of red for “Someone’s got to pay” was violent and present.  The dirty deed of the dénouement is done in the murk of half-light to be eerily chilling.  The costumes show all the work that a period show requires and there were no glaring anachronisms, including the shoes which is often the hardest aspect.  The use of aprons was particularly well considered as were caps and ties.

Director Hayden Tonazzi has chosen some lovely still moments for his lead cast and those moments of intimacy, sometimes with lighting in support, but sometimes alone on the wide stage have real power.  He also manages to throw a bit of comedy our way inside such a grim narrative.  And he has an exciting eye for the big picture.

The choreography (Caitlin Shannon-Duhigg) is so enjoyable. The dancing yes, the black-bottom and the Texas one step and the ragtime craziness, but I was especially struck by the grouping and the movement within that.  Such a committed ensemble: the freezes are pinpoint perfect and the created diorama brings home the setting but it also propels the themes.  The use of the cast during ‘Hammer of Justice’ made for all the spectacle one wants from a musical. The breakouts from the groups for exits was smooth and interesting to the eye.  It is a very disciplined cast who can carry that off on such a big stage.

The Everest is a big stage to fill and stripping it with only three large winding sheets of calico is so evocative.  They could be KKK sheets for example and they are used to strong effect for the chain gang.  All the flown elements work really well actually.

It is a mature and thoughtful work from MUSE and I congratulate the cast and crew on the show but also on the choice to stage it.  The Village Voice review of the Broadway 1998 production detested the show, wondering why it appeared “distant and insubstantial”.   MUSE has discretely stayed away from direct engagement with PARADE’s implications for our current political climate, here and overseas, instead keeping the narrative and themes within period.  Thereby they have given us the distance to see where improvements have been made and embolden us to see injustice in the now.  The cast program notes are telling.

It has a very short season but make the effort to see it as it will resonate and touch you and it’s a chance to see those young artists before they become stars.

Tickets for MUSE’s [Facebook] production of PARADE [Facebook Event] available from the  Seymour Centre. Playing until 24th March.