Broadway
Opening Night of Parade With Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond
Parade, starring Tony Award-winner Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, released photos from last night’s Opening Night performance at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. During curtain call, Platt and Diamond were joined by two-time Tony nominated director Michael Arden, two-time Tony Award-winning book writer Alfred Uhry, three-time Tony Award winning composer Jason Robert Brown. Immediately after the show New York State Governor Kathy Hochul came backstage to congratulate Platt, Diamond, and the entire cast and creative team.
Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond Photo by Michaelah Reynolds
Parade’s original Broadway production, directed by 21-time Tony Award-winning legend Harold Prince (who co-conceived of the musical alongside Uhry and Brown), premiered in 1998. This new production is the first time Frank’s story has been told on Broadway since.
Carolee Carmello, Micaela Diamond Photo by Michaelah Reynolds
Jason Robert Brown Photo by Michaelah Reynolds
Parade also features Alex Joseph Grayson as ‘Jim Conley,’ Tony Award nominee Sean Allan Krill as ‘Governor Slaton,’ Tony Award nominee Howard McGillin as ‘Old Soldier/Judge Roan,’ and Paul Alexander Nolan as ‘Hugh Dorsey.’ They will be joined by Jay Armstrong Johnson as ‘Britt Craig,’ Kelli Barrett as ‘Mrs. Phagan,’ Courtnee Carter as ‘Angela,’ Eddie Cooper as ‘Newt Lee,’ Erin Rose Doyle as ‘Mary Phagan,’ Tony Award nominee Manoel Felciano as ‘Tom Watson,’ Danielle Lee Greaves as ‘Minnie McKnight,’ Douglas Lyons as ‘Riley,’ and Jake Pedersen as ‘Frankie Epps.’
Governor Kathy Hochul with PARADE Cast and Jason Robert Brown. Photo by Jenny Anderson
Michael Arden, Alfred Uhry, Jason Robert Brown Photo by Michaelah Reynolds
The cast is completed by Florrie Bagel as ‘Nurse,’ Stacie Bono as ‘Sally Slaton,’ Max Chernin as ‘Mr. Turner,’ Emily Rose DeMartino as ‘Essie & Others,’ Christopher Gurr as ‘Luther Rosser/Mr. Peavy,’ Beth Kirkpatrick as ‘Nina Formby,’ Ashlyn Maddox as ‘Monteen & Others,’ Sophia Maniconeas ‘Iola Stover,’ William Michals as ‘Detective Starnes,’ Jackson Teeley as ‘Officer Ivey,’ and Charlie Webb as ‘Young Soldier.’
PARADE Opening Night Curtain Call. Photo by Jenny Anderson
Leo and Lucille Frank (Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond) are a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another.
Opening Night Curtain Call. Photo by Jenny Anderson
Michael Arden Photo by Michaelah Reynolds
The creative team for Parade includes Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Cree Grant (choreography), Tony Award nominee Dane Laffrey (scenic design), Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty (costume design), Tony Award nominee Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Drama Desk Award nominee Jon Weston (sound design), Tony Award nominee Sven Ortel (projection design), Tom Watson (hair and wig design), Tom Murray (music director & conductor), Kimberlee Wertz (music coordinator), Telsey + Co/Craig Burns, CSA (casting director), and Justin Scribner (production stage manager). Parade was originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince.
PARADE Opening Night Curtain Call. Photo by Jenny Anderson
Alfred Uhry Photo by Michaelah Reynolds
Parade will play a strictly limited engagement through Sunday, August 6 only. Tickets for are on sale at www.paradebroadway.com, www.telecharge.com, by calling 800 447 7400, or at the box office at the Jacobs Theatre.
Art
Ahead of the Broadway Opening of Lempicka The Longacre Theatre Is Showcasing Art Work By Tamara de Lempicka
The Longacre Theatre (220 W 48th St.), soon-to-be home of the sweeping new musical, Lempicka, is showcasing a curated selection of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka’s most famous works. Eschewing traditional theatrical front-of-house advertising, the Longacre’s façade now boasts prints, creating a museum-quality exhibition right in the heart of Times Square. The musical opens on Broadway on April 14, 2024 at the same venue.
The Longacre’s outdoor exhibition includes works of Self Portrait (Tamara in a Green Bugatti) (1929), Young Girl in Green (1927), Nu Adossé I (1925), The Red Tunic (1927), The Blue Scarf (1930), The Green Turban (1930), Portrait of Marjorie Ferry (1932), Portrait of Ira P. (1930), Portrait of Romana de la Salle (1928), and Adam and Eve (1932).
Starring Eden Espinosa and directed by Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin, Lempicka features book, lyrics, and original concept by Carson Kreitzer, book and music by Matt Gould, and choreography by Raja Feather Kelly.
Spanning decades of political and personal turmoil and told through a thrilling, pop-infused score, Lempicka boldly explores the contradictions of a world in crisis, a woman ahead of her era, and an artist whose time has finally come.
Young Girl in Green painted by Tamara de Lempicka (1927). Oil on plywood.