Ben Platt back on Broadway in a muddied ‘Parade’
NEW YORK — There’s little respite for Ben Platt once the new Broadway revival of the dark musical “Parade” begins. Even during intermission, he remains onstage, sitting in a jail cell.
Some patrons during the break may come close to the stage and take photos of him as they stretch or before a quick restroom stop. Others will worry for him — the hangman’s noose is fast approaching.
Platt is one of the reasons to see this grim and doomed musical love story set against the real backdrop of a murder and lynching in Georgia in pre-World War I. Another is Micaela
Diamond, who plays his wife. A third reason is the score by Jason Robert Brown, which brilliantly veers from muscular work songs to intricate duets. But curious staging may leave you baffled even as you are left moved.
Platt stars as Leo Frank, a New York-bred Jewish businessman, accused of murdering a young girl who worked in the pencil factory he managed in 1913. He is tried and convicted of murder, has his death sentence commuted to life in prison but then is lynched by a mob.
Book writer Alfred Uhry, best known for “Driving Miss Daisy,” uses
this story to explore antisemitism, racism, mob violence, prosecutorial misconduct, the appeal of the “Lost Cause” and the corrupting influence of media and politics. The original Broadway show lasted just a few months after opening in 1998; it was clearly ahead of its time.
Platt, marking his first return to Broadway since “Dear Evan Hansen,” squeezes out every bit of humor in the script. His gradual evolution from persnickety manager to romantic guy is thrilling to watch. and
Diamond proves his equal, with her arc moving from mousey housewife to steely advocate for her husband.