'Parade' focuses on diverse range of topics

"Parade" isn't your average song-and-dance musical. The spontaneous bursts of song that characterized musicals of the past have been tossed out, and a new era of musically driven drama has taken center stage.\n"Musical theater that's been written in the last 80 years has been a lot of song and dance and boy-meets-girl," said senior John Armstrong, who plays Leo Frank in "Parade." "In the last 20 years or so, they have come to be written for the actor. You can't just sing and smile anymore -- you have to rely on the acting."\nBased on the novel written by Alfred Uhry, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning "Driving Miss Daisy" and Tony Award-winning "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," "Parade" is about the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man wrongly accused of murder in Atlanta in 1913. The musical deals with the trial that ensued and the unexpected love story that developed between Leo and his wife through their struggle to clear his name. "Parade" subtly examines class and race relations, mob mentality and prejudice in the South at the turn of the century.\nIn addition to a strong script based on Uhry's novel, the drama is accompanied by an award-winning score by composer Jason Robert Brown.\n"It's a new musical, so some of the songs may not be familiar," director George Pinney said. "What's important is that it won the Tony Award for best book and best score."\nPinney said he believes audiences can relate to the themes of the musical.\n"I think what draws me to the show is that the topic is so relevant to these times," he said. "What the whole production focuses on is the cycle of violence, prejudice and hate and the inability of that cycle to be broken."\nThe show's serious message has impacted the actors on more than one level. Graduate student Coryell Barlow, who plays Mrs. Phagan, said it has made her think twice about judging others from first impressions.\n"The message really opens your eyes," she said. "We can have such notions about people, and yet we can be devastatingly wrong."\nArmstrong said he appreciates that the characters are more serious than most in typical musical theater.\n"This show gives you the opportunity to take on a more complex character and to do some serious acting," he said. "This is my last semester, and one thing I needed to learn before I left college was how to take on a character like this."\nThe production will be accompanied by a 17-piece orchestra. Armstrong said he believes the music is an integral part of "Parade."\n"The music supports the plot, and the dialogue supports the music," Armstrong said. "In a musical like this, the music drives the action. It is as essential to the plot as are the characters and the dialogue."\nThe Department of Theater and Drama's production of "Parade" will mark the premier of this show in Indiana. "Parade" opens Friday at 8 p.m. and continues April 13 and April 15-20 at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre.\n"Being in the new theater, the stenography of lights, sets and costumes is really melding together in a wonderful way," Pinney said.\nPinney said he is confident the cast and the script will impress audiences.\n"It is guaranteed to engage an audience member," he said. "The cast is quite fantastic, and this truly is a very passionate, moving musical"