Matthew Porter and Kristin Kukic as Leo and Lucille Frank in Croswell’s Parade. Photo courtesy The Croswell Opera House.
For every 40 Annies, Oklahomas, and Music Mans there is 1 Parade, and the world is a better place because of it.
A stunning production of the show opened at The Croswell Opera House last night and it is the must-see musical of the year. Get tickets for your family (mature audiences only please) and spend a breathtaking couple of hours with the cast and technical marvels on display in this picture-perfect production.
I have had the privilege of seeing the original Parade at Lincoln Center in New York in 1998, the revival in 2023, and the tour in 2025. I’ve seen wonderful productions at University of Michigan and Peppermint Creek in Lansing, but none of them has felt as meaningful as Croswell’s production which left the standing ovation audience speechless last night. Maybe it is this stirring production and it’s incomparable who’s who of local theater cast; maybe it is the week we’ve all experienced nationally; and maybe it is because every now and then, a musical touches your heart in a way that is completely unexpected.
This is not a casual evening of theater to be sure. Parade tells the story of Leo Frank, a Jewish pencil factory manager in Atlanta, transplanted from Brooklyn, and his strong-willed and loving wife. When a thirteen-year-old factory girl is murdered on the premises, Leo is accused as a potential murderer, and the Governor wanting this case to be solved quickly before it attracts national attention to the still-reeling 1913 post-Civil War deep south Georgia, sends the case escalating into chaos. The show’s themes of racial tension, north vs south conflict, harassment, murder, and ultimately a lynching is not for folks expecting a quick fun evening of tunes and dances.
That being said, virtually the entire first act is a choreographed (stunningly so by Sabriyah W. Davis) carnival of lies, exaggerated by the media, and swirling through an unbalanced community quick to cast blame at an outsider. Nobody is spared the grief here, and Davis’s ability to keep things keenly moving compliments Michael Yuen’s direction of crisp, clean scenes that never stop moving. Even the set (featuring a turntable) keeps things moving from location to location, person to person, until you have a (ugh, sorry) parade of accusations and misinformation. The exceptionally well-written second act features Leo’s wife Lucille’s attempts to find justice for her husband and their increasingly strong love for each other that culminates in one of Jason Robert Brown’s best songs for the theatre, “All the Wasted Time”. (You might recall the Tony performance with Carolee Carmello and Brent Carver). The book is by Alfred Uhre.
Musical direction by Todd Schreiber (who also conducts the outstanding 13-piece orchestra) is absolutely terrific and soloists and ensemble perform the extraordinarily difficult score with absolute aplomb. When the orchestra drops out and you hear the cast’s unaccompanied harmony it is like nothing you have heard in a very long time. Set Design and Projections by Tobin Ost are exactly what you would expect from the award-winning Ost (designer of Broadway’s Newsies, Bonnie & Clyde, and others) – simple yet beautifully effective.
All technical aspects of this production just click and swirl as carefully choreographed as the actors.
Matthew Porter is exceptional as Leo Frank. His ability to morph from shy, afraid factory manager to a powerhouse of emotion is astonishing. He is ably matched by the strong-voiced and self-assured Kristin Kukic as his wife Lucille. Together they are a steam engine barreling along at full speed.
Jared Hoffert plays a strong Governor John Slaton, and his real-life wife Julia Spanja Hoffert plays his onstage wife Sally with a keen eye to what is happening around her. She and Jared have the most humorous interaction of the show, right at the moment it is sorely needed. Riley Bollock is terrific as Frankie Epps, murdered Mary Phagan’s (Hallie Yuen, terrific in a demanding role) young admirer as are Steven Kiss as Hugh Dorsey (you’ve probably never seen Steven play a bad guy on stage before and he is outstanding here). Mary’s mother is played by heartbreaking Maria Portaro-Mohler…wait until her last line in her solo during the funeral and see if you still like her when it’s all done. Brava. Every supporting role is strong and vocals are excellent throughout: Joshua Egnatuk, Nickolas Brown, Jeffrey Thomas King, Will DuPuis, Ebone Waweru, and Bradley Baker.
There isn’t a spare part in the rest of the ensemble, everyone often onstage either performing or watching and judging, and you might recognize some of these names as leads in previous Croswell shows and elsewhere attesting to the strength of this production: Nate Adams, Oden Berthelsen, Bob Eccles, Christopher Harlan, CaSaundra Taulton, Carolyn Mohler, Sarah Hoffert, Abigail Lipsitz, Walter Book, Hobbes Treynor, Abby Dots, Jess Dougherty, Ella Flumignan, Leah Fox, Cassidy Giddens, AJ Landingham, Jordan Marquez, Kylie McElrath, Love Ruddell, Madeline Stewart, Eva Suchora, Aaron Treadway.
This is absolutely the season’s must-not-miss musical. While you won’t leave the theater humming the songs, you will find yourself thinking and feeling, and that’s pretty darn good for a musical. As one of the more profound songs in the production asks, “Where will you stand when the flood comes?” Will you do what is right, even when others shun you, or will you stand with the crowd waving and cheering at their outdated modes of hero worship during Confederate Memorial Day. Time has done no favors to help us figure that out.
Absolutely Highest Recommendation. Don’t miss it.
Parade continues at The Croswell Opera House through September 21st. Tickets available at croswell.org or by calling 517-264-SHOW, or at the door, Buy tickets ONLY directly from Croswell: there are no authorized third-party ticket sellers, buyer beware.
Mostly Musical Theatre 
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