THE BUZZ: Jeff Samaha Theater pulls out all the stops for rare performance of “Parade”
Still riding the high of a successfully sold-out “Les Miserables,” Bay Ridge’s own Jeff Samaha Theater Productions/Ridge Chorale is proud to present “Parade,” the story of Brooklyn-born Leo Frank, convicted of the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in 1913 Atlanta, Georgia.
“I think, for us, doing ‘Parade’ is really significant only because it’s a show that a lot of theater companies are afraid to tackle,” noted the production’s producer, Karen Tadross, “but what we felt was that, once you read the story of Leo Frank and listen to the music and read the script, you’re almost compelled to do it after you’ve realized what it’s truly about.”
“Parade,” penned in the late 1990s with book by Alfred Uhry and music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, recounts the press frenzy and public outrage around Frank’s trial, and his wife’s crusade for justice. Amid religious intolerance, political justice and racial tension, the Tony Award-winning musical explores the endurance of love and hope, even when up against all odds.