Are you on the right side of history? How do you explore both sides of the story? What does the truth entail? “Where will you stand when the flood comes?” The Tony-award winning musical, “Parade,” pushes audience members to ask these questions of themselves and reflect on not only their past, but the history of the United States. On Sunday, Jan. 12, 26 students traveled to Schenectady, N.Y., to explore these themes through the unique and thought-provoking musical.
The first act starts off at the end of the Civil War and explores the violent, prideful, and harsh South. It comments on racial divides that dominated and continue to dominate the way of life in the South. The play then jumps to 1915 to follow the true story of Leo and Lucille Frank. Leo is a Jewish man from Brooklyn, N.Y. “Leo is the superintendent for a pencil factory,” Director of Theater Kyle Reynolds explained. “One of his workers, 13-year-old Mary Phagan, comes to his pencil factory one night to collect her paycheck, and she is found dead the next day in the basement of the pencil factory.”
This horrific murder shakes the city of Atlanta, evoking the violent theme that surrounds the setting throughout the musical. Leo Frank is quickly arrested for the murder of this young girl, which turns the city against him. The audience is then brought to the funeral of Mary and witnesses them lower a small coffin into the ground. The rest of the musical takes place on top of Mary’s body, while her spirit watches from the back.
Quickly after the funeral, the audience gets to take on the role of the jury in the case of Leo Frank v. Georgia. The audience, who first enters the trial from the innocent perspective of the Franks, begins to question Leo’s involvement in the murder of this girl. Leo Frank, played by Max Chernin, takes the audience through both sides of the story: one where he’s a brutal murderer and rapist, and one where he is innocent and is being framed. The audience slowly tries to decide for themselves whether or not this man is guilty, while also acknowledging the skewed judicial system at the time. Eventually, the verdict is announced: Leo Frank is guilty of the crime and will be hanged. And with that, the first act ends.
“After the first act, I really did think that all hope was lost,” junior Leo Kollen commented. This feeling wafted around audience members as they debated the verdict, empathized with the Franks, and tried to predict the second half of the show. While the audience fussed and argued over the verdict, Leo Frank remained on stage, contemplating his future after the verdict was announced. This gave the audience an intimate experience, as they watched Leo try to process his future.
The second act focuses much more on Lucille Frank’s journey as she tries to free her husband. It reflects on the role of women at the time and how Lucille’s influence, power, might, and love propelled her and her husband’s journey forward. The show came to a close post World War I, showing the same violent, prideful, and harsh South. “I thought it was just incredible the way they connected the beginning [of the show] to the end,” junior Arthur Tittman reflected. “It showed how the situation 50 years before the show takes place and the situation 100 years after is essentially the same and the same problems persist.”
After the show, students sat in their thoughts, trying to grapple with the tragic, upsetting, and thought-provoking ending. “This show was actually life-changing,” senior Lily Temkin reflected. “It really makes you think about how you perceive others versus how they perceive themselves.”
However, the night did not end with the show; Mr. Reynolds had a couple of surprises up his sleeves. Students got the exciting opportunity to meet with Sven Ortel, the show’s projection designer. The show incorporates a projection screen that projects images of the real people, as the actors show up. For example, when Max Chernin came on as Leo Frank, a picture of the real Leo Frank was projected behind him. “It’s easy to not believe that all of this actually happened,” Mr. Ortel commented. “However, all the pictures you see provide authenticity and give the story veracity. It basically reminds people that this is the truth.”
After meeting with Mr. Ortel, the Wyverns were even more surprised when Max Chernin, who plays Leo Frank, and Talia Suskauer, who plays Lucille Frank, came out from backstage to talk to them. “I think that it’s important that we all feel uncomfortable at times,” Ms. Suskauer advised the students. “That’s how we grow and how we learn.”
In the end, the show allowed students to not only reflect on the past, but also on their role in shaping United States history. It showcased the delicate themes of hope, hate, love, and fear that we still see in our world today.
“This is not the first time where things like this have happened in our lives, in our country, or in our world,” Choral Director Steve Mitchell communicated. “There are so many themes that still apply today. And it’s hard to grapple with it. Is it just happening again and we have no power, or is it happening again and we need to be smart enough to do something about it?”
