Parade at CIBC Theatre

Broadway’s Tony Award®-winning depiction of Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry’s beloved Parade has launched a national tour throughout North America this year. Spearheaded by Tony Award® winning director Michael Arden, the incredible Parade stars music and lyrics by three times Tony Award® winner Jason Robert Brown, including crowd winners like “The Dream of Atlanta,” “You Don’t Know This Man,” and “Rumblin’ and a Rollin’.”

The show will kickstart at the Orpheum Theatre Minneapolis in January and will make its way to the esteemed CIBC Theatre this August. “When Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece played its record-breaking and sold-out runs at New York City Center and on Broadway, it was heralded by critics for its stellar performances, magnificent score, impassioned direction, and of course, its timeliness,” said the Parade producing team. “We are honored that we can bring Parade to audiences across North America so that they too can experience this once in a lifetime production in this moment in history.” Book your tickets today and experience the Parade before it passes by!

“A timely, riveting, and gorgeously sung Broadway revival” – The New York Times

“Parade will echo for a long time to come. See it before the Parade passes by” – Time Out New York

Parade at CIBC Theatre

CIBC Theatre is the ultimate destination to experience the Parade in all its splendor. Just like this Tony Award-winning production, CIBC Theatre inspires spectators every season. Recognized and adored around the world as Chicago’s premier venue, CIBC Theatre provides the perfect setting for critically revered musicals like Parade. Suited and booted with all the top notch effects that you would expect from Broadway’s biggest spectacles, the live venue goes hand-in-hand with a production as visually striking as Parade. This run, from August 5 – 17, is a super exciting addition to Downtown Chicago’s entertainment calendar, which you can’t afford to miss out on!!

Synopsis

Parade recounts the true story of Leo Frank during the early 1900s. He and his recently married wife, Lucille Frank, are a Jewish couple trying to build a life in the deep red hills of Georgia. In 1913, Leo Frank was falsely accused and ultimately convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old girl in Atlanta.

The trial, sentencing, and eventual death of Leo Frank drew nationwide attention to the issue of antisemitism in the south. These events contributed to the formation of the Anti-Defamation League and sparked the resurgence of the previously declining Ku Klux Klan. The accusation against Frank placed him and Lucille in an unimaginable test of their faith, ethics, sense of justice, and commitment to each other. Emotional and full of hope, Parade reminds us that real love begins with truly seeing each other.

“As we revisit Leo Frank’s story, I hope it encourages audiences to reflect deeply on our nation’s past shortcomings—and the ongoing potential of the complex, ever-evolving fabric that is America,” shares director Michael Arden.

Creative Team

Parade features a book by Alfred Uhry who’s won two Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and an Academy Award. The music and lyrics are by three-time Tony winner Jason Robert Brown, and the show was originally co-conceived by legendary 21-time Tony Award winner Harold Prince. Michael Arden returns to bring his Tony-winning direction back to life, joined by his trusted Broadway team. That includes the standout choreographers Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant, music coordinator Kimberlee Wertz, set designer Dane Laffrey, costume designer Susan Hilferty, lighting designer Heather Gilbert, sound designer Jon Weston, projection designer Sven Ortel, hair and wig designer Tom Watson, and casting by Craig Burns of Telsey + Co.

“Parade has been a seminal piece of theater for me as an artist since it premiered 25 years ago, and to be collaborating with this incredible group of producers, designers, and artists led by the brilliant Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond is truly a dream come true,” Michael Arden says.

Max Chernin takes the lead as Leo Frank and Talia Suskauer as Lucille Frank. Other talented cast members include Griffin Binnicker, Evan Harrington, Ramone Nelson, Jack Roden, Andrew Samonsky, Chris Shyer, Michael Tacconi, Alison Ewing, Olivia Goosman, Jenny Hickman, Oluchi Nwaokorie, Robert Knight, Ben Cherington, Trevor James, Trista Moldovan, Ethan Riordan, Brian Vaughn, and Jason Simon. The ensemble includes Bethany Adamson, Victoria Anderson, Josh Crowther, Joe Dale, Jessica Keable, Robin Kent, Annabelle Laing, Jacob McLay Reid, Jonathan Milton, George Olney, Oliver Ramsdale, Elly Shaw, Lucy Anne Stacey, Matthew Sweet, and Ria Tanaka. 

“Ben Platt stuns in a powerful Broadway production of an essential American musical” – Frank Rizzo, Variety 

“There’s the star power of Ben Platt in a stunning performance” – Robert Hofler, The Wrap

History and Awards

First brought to life by visionary director Harold Prince, Parade opened on Broadway in 1998. It earned nine Tony Award nominations and won two – for its powerful book and beautiful score. In 2007, a major update of the show premiered at London’s Donmar Warehouse, followed by a historic run at LA’s Mark Taper Forum in 2009. The current version is based on that London revision. Michael Arden’s Parade began as a limited engagement at New York City Center in 2022. Much of the praised cast continued with the move to Broadway, including Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as Lucille Frank. The revival went on to win two well-deserved Tony Awards in 2023, including Best Revival of a Musical and Best Direction of a Musical for Arden.

Review by Variety

“Co-choreographers Lauren Yalango-Grant and Christopher Cree Grant make the sweep of history move with grace and flair. Sven Ortel’s projections of vintage photographs of the actual characters, settings and headlines are a constant reminder of the real world and its actual history. This theatrically thrilling revival of “Parade” teaches lessons that still need to be learned from a wicked past that haunts us still.”