Parade, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown with book by Alfred Uhry, is not often mounted. The story dramatizes the events around the 1913 trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager in Georgia who was falsely accused and convicted of the rape and murder of thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan, one of his factory floor workers. The material, (script and score) is challenging in every sense of the word, and this production rises to occasion.
Upon taking my seat, I was struck by the set, a simple building frame whose sides subtly evoke a ragged and torn confederate flag. The deceptively simple set was put to good use by director Lorraine Green-Kimsa, who made effective use of every level and isolation pattern available to clearly define locations and moods over the course of the show.
The twenty-something member cast is generally strong, and the ensemble numbers land their mark with a depth and richness that is wonderful to see. Congratulations are due in this respect to the ensemble's talent but also to music director Tom Kerr and his orchestra, who handle a technically difficult and complex score with aplomb.
Individual performances of the cast are a little more of a mixed bag, and though no one is weak as such, there are some that could be stronger.
Andy Ingra as sensationalist reporter Britt Craig has a devilish raspiness to his voice that pays off in his number "Real Big News". Luke Witt as Frankie Epps has wonderfully playful moments early one with Avra Fainer as bright-eyed Mary Phagan. His turn later to vicious anger and vengeance, reflecting the mood of the town, his the mark.
Falling slightly short for me was Will van der Zyl as district attorney Hugh Dorsey, whose populism and opportunism did not ring as solidly as I would have liked. Michael Yaneff as Tom Watson, the charismatic and anti-semitic preacher who promises to make Dorsey governor, delivers the bile but falls just short of being the "dangerous man" he is referred to as in the script. When whipping the ensemble into a vengeful fervour in "Hammer of Justice" I felt him too restrained, needing a bit more of the "holy spirit" to fall upon him.
A stand-out cast member for me was Twaine Ward, in the dual role of Newt Lee and Jim Conley. My one critique of the dual role is that the differentiation between the two characters was not very clear, leading me for a moment to wonder how old Newt (an early suspect in the murder) had somehow become a young man delivering trial evidence. That aside, Ward's voice and presence deliver strongly on all of his numbers and scenes.
But what of the protagonists, Leo and Lucille Frank, played by Scott Labonte and Lauren Lazar respectively? These are difficult and multi-layered roles, and for the most part both Labonte and Lazar do fine work. Despite a couple sour notes at the performance I attended, they are both vocally up to the task of delivering the complex and challenging score. Their character work, primarily in Act I, felt to me as falling just short of unlocking the depth and complexity available in the material. As example, when Frank is first visited in jail by his wife, Labonte delivers a performance rooted more in anger than in fear expressing itself as anger. At a couple points, I actually wondered how the two characters ever managed to marry. The performances of and connection between both actors took far firmer root in the second act, however. By their final scenes, they both delivered an affection and tenderness that was ultimately satisfying.
And ultimately, this was a very satisfying production from what is still a very young company. If putting on this show is likened to scaling a mountain, the production does not quite make it to the peak, but certainly makes it high enough that the air is rarefied and the view is grand.
Recommendation: For people who like their theatre (musical or not) meaty and satisfying, do yourself a tremendous favour and go see this show before it closes.
Parade runs until August 18 at the George Igantieff Theatre with performances Wed-Saturday at 8:00pm and matinee performances Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm.
Tickets can be purchased through www.stageworkstoronto.com
Upon taking my seat, I was struck by the set, a simple building frame whose sides subtly evoke a ragged and torn confederate flag. The deceptively simple set was put to good use by director Lorraine Green-Kimsa, who made effective use of every level and isolation pattern available to clearly define locations and moods over the course of the show.
The twenty-something member cast is generally strong, and the ensemble numbers land their mark with a depth and richness that is wonderful to see. Congratulations are due in this respect to the ensemble's talent but also to music director Tom Kerr and his orchestra, who handle a technically difficult and complex score with aplomb.
Individual performances of the cast are a little more of a mixed bag, and though no one is weak as such, there are some that could be stronger.
Andy Ingra as sensationalist reporter Britt Craig has a devilish raspiness to his voice that pays off in his number "Real Big News". Luke Witt as Frankie Epps has wonderfully playful moments early one with Avra Fainer as bright-eyed Mary Phagan. His turn later to vicious anger and vengeance, reflecting the mood of the town, his the mark.
Falling slightly short for me was Will van der Zyl as district attorney Hugh Dorsey, whose populism and opportunism did not ring as solidly as I would have liked. Michael Yaneff as Tom Watson, the charismatic and anti-semitic preacher who promises to make Dorsey governor, delivers the bile but falls just short of being the "dangerous man" he is referred to as in the script. When whipping the ensemble into a vengeful fervour in "Hammer of Justice" I felt him too restrained, needing a bit more of the "holy spirit" to fall upon him.
A stand-out cast member for me was Twaine Ward, in the dual role of Newt Lee and Jim Conley. My one critique of the dual role is that the differentiation between the two characters was not very clear, leading me for a moment to wonder how old Newt (an early suspect in the murder) had somehow become a young man delivering trial evidence. That aside, Ward's voice and presence deliver strongly on all of his numbers and scenes.
But what of the protagonists, Leo and Lucille Frank, played by Scott Labonte and Lauren Lazar respectively? These are difficult and multi-layered roles, and for the most part both Labonte and Lazar do fine work. Despite a couple sour notes at the performance I attended, they are both vocally up to the task of delivering the complex and challenging score. Their character work, primarily in Act I, felt to me as falling just short of unlocking the depth and complexity available in the material. As example, when Frank is first visited in jail by his wife, Labonte delivers a performance rooted more in anger than in fear expressing itself as anger. At a couple points, I actually wondered how the two characters ever managed to marry. The performances of and connection between both actors took far firmer root in the second act, however. By their final scenes, they both delivered an affection and tenderness that was ultimately satisfying.
And ultimately, this was a very satisfying production from what is still a very young company. If putting on this show is likened to scaling a mountain, the production does not quite make it to the peak, but certainly makes it high enough that the air is rarefied and the view is grand.
Recommendation: For people who like their theatre (musical or not) meaty and satisfying, do yourself a tremendous favour and go see this show before it closes.
Parade runs until August 18 at the George Igantieff Theatre with performances Wed-Saturday at 8:00pm and matinee performances Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm.
Tickets can be purchased through www.stageworkstoronto.com