Parade at Ahmanson Theatre

The Tony Award®-winning Broadway production of Parade, created by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry, is hitting the road for a North American tour this year. Led by Tony Award-winning director Michael Arden, this powerful show features music and lyrics by three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, including audience favorites like “The Dream of Atlanta,” “You Don’t Know This Man,” and “Rumblin’ and a Rollin’.”

The tour begins at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis this January and will arrive at Ahmanson Theatre later this summer. “When Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece played its record-breaking and sold-out runs at New York City Center and on Broadway, it was heralded by critics for its stellar performances, magnificent score, impassioned direction, and of course, its timeliness,” said the Parade producing team. “We are honored that we can bring Parade to audiences across North America so that they too can experience this once in a lifetime production in this moment in history.” 

Get your tickets now and catch Parade before it moves on!

“A timely, riveting, and gorgeously sung Broadway revival” – Jesse Green, The New York Times

“A work of art! As commanding as any musical revival to hit broadway in years” – Greg Evans, Deadline 

Parade at Ahmanson Theatre

Ahmanson Theatre is the perfect place to experience Parade in all its glory. Much like this Tony Award-winning production, the theater continues to impress audiences year after year. Known and loved as one of Los Angeles’ top venues, the Ahmanson Theatre offers an ideal stage for acclaimed musicals like Parade. Fully equipped with the high-quality effects and production elements you’d expect from a top-tier Broadway show, the venue is a perfect match for a musical as visually powerful as Parade. The show runs through July 12 and is one of the most exciting events on LA’s entertainment calendar – don’t miss your chance to see it live!

Synopsis

Parade tells the real-life story of Leo Frank in the early 1900s. He and his new wife, Lucille Frank, are a Jewish couple working to build a life together in the red hills of Georgia. In 1913, Leo Frank was wrongly accused and later convicted of killing a 13-year-old girl in Atlanta.

His trial, sentencing, and death drew national attention to the growing issue of antisemitism in the South. These events helped lead to the founding of the Anti-Defamation League and the revival of the once-fading Ku Klux Klan. The charges against Frank put both him and Lucille through a painful test of their beliefs, morals, and love for each other. Powerful and hopeful, Parade reminds us that real love begins when we truly see one another.

“As we revisit Leo Frank’s story, I hope it encourages audiences to reflect deeply on our nation’s past shortcomings—and the ongoing potential of the complex, ever-evolving fabric that is America,” shares director Michael Arden.

Creative Team

Parade includes a book by Alfred Uhry, who has earned two Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Academy Award. The music and lyrics come from three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, and the show was first co-conceived by the legendary Harold Prince, who won 21 Tony Awards in his lifetime. Michael Arden returns to direct, bringing back his Tony-winning vision along with his incredible Broadway team. That group includes standout choreographers Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, music coordinator Kimberlee Wertz, scenic designer Dane Laffrey, costume designer Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Heather Gilbert, sound designer Jon Weston, projection designer Sven Ortel, hair and wig designer Tom Watson, and casting director Craig Burns from Telsey + Co.

“Parade has been a seminal piece of theater for me as an artist since it premiered 25 years ago, and to be collaborating with this incredible group of producers, designers, and artists led by the brilliant Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond is truly a dream come true,” Michael Arden says.

Max Chernin wears the hat of Leo Frank and Talia Suskauer steps into the role of Lucille Frank. Other talented cast members include Griffin Binnicker, Evan Harrington, Ramone Nelson, Jack Roden, Andrew Samonsky, Chris Shyer, Michael Tacconi, Alison Ewing, Olivia Goosman, Jenny Hickman, Oluchi Nwaokorie, Robert Knight, Ben Cherington, Trevor James, Trista Moldovan, Ethan Riordan, Brian Vaughn, and Jason Simon. The ensemble includes Bethany Adamson, Victoria Anderson, Josh Crowther, Joe Dale, Jessica Keable, Robin Kent, Annabelle Laing, Jacob McLay Reid, Jonathan Milton, George Olney, Oliver Ramsdale, Elly Shaw, Lucy Anne Stacey, Matthew Sweet, and Ria Tanaka. 

“Ben Platt stuns in a powerful Broadway production of an essential American musical” – Frank Rizzo, Variety 

“Ben Platt and Michela Diamond’s show-stopping, cathartic duets are reason enough to see the show” – Adrian Horton, The Guardian 

History and Awards

Originally brought to the stage by visionary director Harold Prince, Parade made its Broadway debut in 1998. It received nine Tony Award nominations and won two – for its powerful story and moving score. In 2007, a major update of the musical premiered at London’s Donmar Warehouse, followed by a notable run at LA’s Mark Taper Forum in 2009. The version seen today is based on that London production. Michael Arden’s take on Parade started with a limited run at New York City Center in 2022. Most of the praised cast stayed on for the Broadway transfer, including Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank. The revival earned two well-deserved Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for Arden.

Review by Variety

“Co-choreographers Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant make the sweep of history move with grace and flair. Sven Ortel’s projections of vintage photographs of the actual characters, settings and headlines are a constant reminder of the real world and its actual history. This theatrically thrilling revival of “Parade” teaches lessons that still need to be learned from a wicked past that haunts us still.”