I hesitate to claim that Parade is Jason Robert Brown’s masterpiece, because he continues to write and perform new work. In fact, a California friend invited me to join him for Mr. Brown’s recent performance at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, and the program included several new songs. But, Parade is his only work to have been performed on Broadway twice, the first time in 1998, where I saw it originally, and the second time currently. Maybe it’s because I’ve listened to Mr. Brown’s music, including The Last Five Years, which I think is brilliant, or maybe seeing an excellent regional production of Parade helped as well.
In any case, I thoroughly enjoyed Michael Arden’s production of it at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. I suspect that part of my enjoyment came from the lush sound of what I counted to be a 17-piece orchestra. And, for certain, the large cast, headed by Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, made watching Alfred Uhry’s wrenching tale of Southern anti-Semitism fascinating and horrifying at the same time.
A friend walked me back to my hotel after the performance. We talked quietly about it as we walked. I’m glad that he took the time to do so.
Bill Eadie |
