Last night, the National Tour of the 2023 Tony winner for best revival of a musical opened right here in Minneapolis.
Parade premiered on Broadway in 1998 and ran for only three months, but won the Tony for score (Jason Robert Brown, his first of two Tonys, the second for
The Bridges of Madison County) and book (playwright Alfred Uhry, who won the Pulitzer Prize for
Driving Miss Daisy). Almost 25 years later it was revived in a stunning and devastating production that
I was fortunate to see.* I'm so glad that it's going on tour, because this is a story that America needs to see right now. Unfortunately, this very American story of antisemitism, racism, otherism, corruption in the judicial and political systems, fearmongering, mob violence, and media distortion of the facts only gets more relevant with each passing day. Heavy subject for a musical? Yes, but not all musicals need to be light and happy. In fact the best ones delve into heavy issues and shed light on the dark places of our past and present, and do it with gorgeous music that evokes the emotions of the story better than a history book or even a play ever could. Twin Cities theater-goers should feel honored to be the first ones in the country to experience this brilliant production, and if you're a fan of meaningful and relevant music-theater that's also beautiful to watch and listen to, go see
Parade (through Sunday only -
click here for info and tickets, including group sales and student/educator rush).
