In many ways, Ben Platt is one of the most successful theater kids of our time, third only to Lin-Manuel Miranda and Taylor Swift (proof of this ignominious past can be found here and here). The prodigiously talented tenor grew up with fellow L.A.-based theater kid Molly Gordon and Bff Beanie Feldstein, attending a performing arts school and appearing in the ultimate theater kid role as Winthrop in a Hollywood Bowl production of The Music Man starring Kristin Chenoweth.
Platt was cast as the intensely troubled Evan Hansen...
Platt was cast as the intensely troubled Evan Hansen...
- 7/14/2023
- by Ej Dickson
- Rollingstone.com
Parade director Michael Arden addressed the rise of white supremacy and antisemitism within the U.S. while accepting his win for best direction of a musical at the 2023 Tony Awards on Sunday night.
Taking the stage at the United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights, Arden dedicated his lengthy speech to “the battalion of people who made Parade and who bring it to life so beautifully and terrifyingly every night.” He then pivoted to the larger conversation around the themes of the show, which tells the story of a Jewish man and factory worker in Georgia in the early 20th century who was falsely accused of murdering a teenage girl and later lynched by an antisemitic mob.
“Parade tells the story of a life that was cut short at the hands of the belief that one group of people is more or less valuable than another and that they...
Taking the stage at the United Palace in New York’s Washington Heights, Arden dedicated his lengthy speech to “the battalion of people who made Parade and who bring it to life so beautifully and terrifyingly every night.” He then pivoted to the larger conversation around the themes of the show, which tells the story of a Jewish man and factory worker in Georgia in the early 20th century who was falsely accused of murdering a teenage girl and later lynched by an antisemitic mob.
“Parade tells the story of a life that was cut short at the hands of the belief that one group of people is more or less valuable than another and that they...
- 6/12/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This year’s Tony race for Best Musical Revival has two Stephen Sondheim shows (“Into the Woods” and “Sweeney Todd”) in contention. Will one of them win or will they cancel each other out? Let’s go over both of them.
“Into the Woods” combines several fairy tales and explores the consequences of the characters’ quests. The main storyline focuses on a childless baker and his wife as they go into the woods to break a spell set upon them by a witch. There they run into various classic fairy tale characters, all before revealing what happens after “happily ever after.”
The original production won three Tonys in 1988 for Best Actress (Musical) for Joanna Gleason, Best Musical Book for James Lapine, and Best Original Score for Sondheim. Meanwhile, Best Musical that year went to “The Phantom of the Opera,” which wound up with six other awards. The last remounting of...
“Into the Woods” combines several fairy tales and explores the consequences of the characters’ quests. The main storyline focuses on a childless baker and his wife as they go into the woods to break a spell set upon them by a witch. There they run into various classic fairy tale characters, all before revealing what happens after “happily ever after.”
The original production won three Tonys in 1988 for Best Actress (Musical) for Joanna Gleason, Best Musical Book for James Lapine, and Best Original Score for Sondheim. Meanwhile, Best Musical that year went to “The Phantom of the Opera,” which wound up with six other awards. The last remounting of...
- 5/22/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
“The whole point of the piece to me is that if we don’t grapple with the trauma and the history of our past, we are bound to repeat it,” explains Michael Arden of “Parade.” The director recently earned a Tony Award nomination for the revival of this Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry musical, which tells the true story of the trial of Leo Frank. This tragic tale of antisemitism in America is often left out of history books, putting pressure on Arden’s production to illuminate the details for a contemporary audience. “I think I’m mostly attracted to shows, and stories, that can help people reexamine the thoughts they have,” notes Arden, “the actions they take.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
The country’s current moment of division and vitriol is an ideal time to investigate the events of “Parade” according to Arden. “We see mob...
The country’s current moment of division and vitriol is an ideal time to investigate the events of “Parade” according to Arden. “We see mob...
- 5/9/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Refresh for updates: Tony Award nominees were celebrating today, with the stars, producers and creative teams of Parade, Kimberly Akimbo, Shucked and The Piano Lesson among those reacting to their nominations.
Audra McDonald, who scored her 10th Tony nomination for performance in Ohio State Murders (Leading Actress/Play), said, “I am honored to have been nominated for Ohio State Murders. Having the opportunity to work with Kenny Leon, and to be a part of Adrienne Kennedy’s long-overdue Broadway debut of her extraordinary, relevant, and powerful work, was one of the most important artistic experiences of my life.”
“I am beyond excited to be nominated this year, and I’m deeply honored to be recognized for this role especially,” said Ben Platt, nominated in the Best Leading Actor/Musical category for his performance in Parade. “As a lifelong lover of musical theatre, this show has always had a special place in my heart.
Audra McDonald, who scored her 10th Tony nomination for performance in Ohio State Murders (Leading Actress/Play), said, “I am honored to have been nominated for Ohio State Murders. Having the opportunity to work with Kenny Leon, and to be a part of Adrienne Kennedy’s long-overdue Broadway debut of her extraordinary, relevant, and powerful work, was one of the most important artistic experiences of my life.”
“I am beyond excited to be nominated this year, and I’m deeply honored to be recognized for this role especially,” said Ben Platt, nominated in the Best Leading Actor/Musical category for his performance in Parade. “As a lifelong lover of musical theatre, this show has always had a special place in my heart.
- 5/2/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Alex Joseph Grayson sees the Broadway revival of “Parade” as a chance to grow “more relaxed and more present as a performer.” The actor plays Jim Conley in the Michael Arden-helmed production, a man who testifies against Leo Frank (Ben Platt). It’s the first time Grayson has originated a role on Broadway rather than understudy, but you would never know it. The actor adeptly navigates the heavy material in songs “That’s What He Said” and “Feel the Rain Fall” in a way that evolves night after night. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“It’s educational, it’s like free acting class,” notes Grayson of his experience in the musical. Unlike most shows, where actors head backstage when not performing a scene, the players in “Parade” often stick around. They grab a chair on the sides of the stage as ever-present onlookers to the action taking place.
“It’s educational, it’s like free acting class,” notes Grayson of his experience in the musical. Unlike most shows, where actors head backstage when not performing a scene, the players in “Parade” often stick around. They grab a chair on the sides of the stage as ever-present onlookers to the action taking place.
- 4/26/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Neo-nazis tend to be a noisy bunch, and it takes an extraordinary and confident work of art to drown out their loud, ugly racket. Parade, opening tonight on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, is that work of art.
With a serendipitous advertising slogan – “This Is Not Over Yet” – borrowed from one of the most powerful songs from a lovely score, the revival of 1998’s Parade arrives just when it’s needed most, providing an eloquent smackdown response to the rise in antisemitism made all too clear by the hate group protesting outside the show’s first preview (they haven’t been back).
With a cast as fine as it is large, led by Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond – two of the best singers currently on Broadway – Parade, set in 1913 Georgia, scores its topical points with all the artistry and theatrical know-how to meet and exceed its noble intensions.
With a serendipitous advertising slogan – “This Is Not Over Yet” – borrowed from one of the most powerful songs from a lovely score, the revival of 1998’s Parade arrives just when it’s needed most, providing an eloquent smackdown response to the rise in antisemitism made all too clear by the hate group protesting outside the show’s first preview (they haven’t been back).
With a cast as fine as it is large, led by Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond – two of the best singers currently on Broadway – Parade, set in 1913 Georgia, scores its topical points with all the artistry and theatrical know-how to meet and exceed its noble intensions.
- 3/17/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Like Louis Armstrong, Nellie Mae Rowe claimed July 4, 1900, as the day she was born. If definitive records could be found in either case, they might indicate a less symbolic date. But for Black Americans born into poverty in the Jim Crow South, as Armstrong and Rowe were, that symbolism — Independence Day, the dawn of the century — is significant. Rowe took her independence seriously, as the captivating film portrait This World Is Not My Own makes vibrantly clear. After years of farm work and many more years as a domestic servant, the twice-widowed Georgian decided, in the powerful words of one of her great-great-nieces, “to design my life the way that I want it while I’m on this journey passing through.”
Whether you call her a folk artist, an outsider artist or simply self-taught, Rowe devoted herself with joy to her paintings, drawings and chewing gum sculptures (using gum she’d chomped herself,...
Whether you call her a folk artist, an outsider artist or simply self-taught, Rowe devoted herself with joy to her paintings, drawings and chewing gum sculptures (using gum she’d chomped herself,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tonight’s performance of Parade, the Broadway musical revival starring Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as wife Lucille Frank, was canceled 20 minutes after the scheduled 8 p.m. curtain due to what an announcement said was technical difficulties involving video projections.
The Saturday evening performance was one of several in which critics were invited prior to the Thursday, March 16 opening night. The opening date is not expected to be impacted by tonight’s cancelation.
Performances will resume with the Sunday matinee tomorrow.
The doors at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on W. 45th Street remained closed until just 15 minutes before the scheduled curtain time, giving ticket-holders a briefer than usual 15 minutes to take their seats. The house lights remained on until about 8:20 p.m., with a black-and-white street scene video image projected against the back wall of the stage seemingly frozen.
The much-anticipated Parade revival had drawn a full house tonight,...
The Saturday evening performance was one of several in which critics were invited prior to the Thursday, March 16 opening night. The opening date is not expected to be impacted by tonight’s cancelation.
Performances will resume with the Sunday matinee tomorrow.
The doors at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on W. 45th Street remained closed until just 15 minutes before the scheduled curtain time, giving ticket-holders a briefer than usual 15 minutes to take their seats. The house lights remained on until about 8:20 p.m., with a black-and-white street scene video image projected against the back wall of the stage seemingly frozen.
The much-anticipated Parade revival had drawn a full house tonight,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Strap on your Laducas and warm up your best 16 bars. The 2023 Tony Awards nominations prediction center is open for business, and a medley of musicals are vying for a spot in this year’s competitive races. Fifteen musicals will compete for Broadway’s biggest honors, and it’s time for you to make your best educated picks as to which ones will rise to the top.
The fall and winter have already seen several new tuners make a play for the coveted Best Musical award. “Kimberly Akimbo” is the latest work from Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”) and book writer/lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire. The story is adapted from Lindsay-Abaire’s straight play of the same name, which centers on the teenage Kimberly (Tony winner Victoria Clark) who has a rare disease that causes her body to age rapidly. The heartwarming and intimate show earned impressive reviews and has audiences swooning.
The fall and winter have already seen several new tuners make a play for the coveted Best Musical award. “Kimberly Akimbo” is the latest work from Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”) and book writer/lyricist David Lindsay-Abaire. The story is adapted from Lindsay-Abaire’s straight play of the same name, which centers on the teenage Kimberly (Tony winner Victoria Clark) who has a rare disease that causes her body to age rapidly. The heartwarming and intimate show earned impressive reviews and has audiences swooning.
- 3/3/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
Some recent Broadway arrivals added both star power and box office receipts to the weekly grosses reports, with both Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Parade selling out (the latter despite some loudmouthed neo-Nazi protesters), and A Doll’s House starring Jessica Chastain and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bad Cinderella coming close.
The musical revival Parade, starring Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as wife Lucille Frank, played four preview performances last week – only one of which, the first, drew the antisemitic protesters – and was at standing room only, grossing $587,006 with an average ticket price of $143.24. The Alfred Uhry-Jason Robert Brown musical, directed by Michael Arden, opens at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 16.
Jessica Chastain (Credit: Giampaolo Sgura)
Sweeney Todd, the revival of the acclaimed Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford at the Lunt-Fontanne, sold out its first preview,...
The musical revival Parade, starring Ben Platt as Leo Frank and Micaela Diamond as wife Lucille Frank, played four preview performances last week – only one of which, the first, drew the antisemitic protesters – and was at standing room only, grossing $587,006 with an average ticket price of $143.24. The Alfred Uhry-Jason Robert Brown musical, directed by Michael Arden, opens at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre on March 16.
Jessica Chastain (Credit: Giampaolo Sgura)
Sweeney Todd, the revival of the acclaimed Stephen Sondheim-Hugh Wheeler musical starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford at the Lunt-Fontanne, sold out its first preview,...
- 2/28/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The new Broadway production of Parade starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond has completed casting, with rehearsals beginning today for the February 21 preview.
Platt and Diamond will lead a 33-person cast that features Alex Joseph Grayson as ‘Jim Conley,’ Sean Allan Krill as ‘Governor Slaton,’ Howard McGillin as ‘Old Soldier/Judge Roan,’ and Paul Alexander Nolan as ‘Hugh Dorsey.’ They will be joined by Jay Armstrong Johnson as ‘Britt Craig,’ Kelli Barrett as ‘Mrs. Phagan,’ Courtnee Carter as ‘Angela,’ Eddie Cooper as ‘Newt Lee,’ Erin Rose Doyle as ‘Mary Phagan,’ Manoel Felciano as ‘Tom Watson,’ Danielle Lee Greaves as ‘Minnie McKnight,’ Douglas Lyons as ‘Riley,’ and Jake Pedersen as ‘Frankie Epps.’
The cast is completed by Florrie Bagel as ‘Nurse,’ Stacie Bono as ‘Sally Slaton,’ Max Chernin as ‘Mr. Turner,’ Emily Rose DeMartino as ‘Essie & Others,’ Christopher Gurr as ‘Luther Rosser/Mr. Peavy,’ Beth Kirkpatrick as ‘Nina Formby,’ Ashlyn Maddox as ‘Monteen & Others,...
Platt and Diamond will lead a 33-person cast that features Alex Joseph Grayson as ‘Jim Conley,’ Sean Allan Krill as ‘Governor Slaton,’ Howard McGillin as ‘Old Soldier/Judge Roan,’ and Paul Alexander Nolan as ‘Hugh Dorsey.’ They will be joined by Jay Armstrong Johnson as ‘Britt Craig,’ Kelli Barrett as ‘Mrs. Phagan,’ Courtnee Carter as ‘Angela,’ Eddie Cooper as ‘Newt Lee,’ Erin Rose Doyle as ‘Mary Phagan,’ Manoel Felciano as ‘Tom Watson,’ Danielle Lee Greaves as ‘Minnie McKnight,’ Douglas Lyons as ‘Riley,’ and Jake Pedersen as ‘Frankie Epps.’
The cast is completed by Florrie Bagel as ‘Nurse,’ Stacie Bono as ‘Sally Slaton,’ Max Chernin as ‘Mr. Turner,’ Emily Rose DeMartino as ‘Essie & Others,’ Christopher Gurr as ‘Luther Rosser/Mr. Peavy,’ Beth Kirkpatrick as ‘Nina Formby,’ Ashlyn Maddox as ‘Monteen & Others,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond will star in Parade on Broadway this spring, reprising their leading roles in the Tony-winning musical following a sold-out New York City Center run.
On Tuesday producers announced the Michael Arden-directed production will open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a limited engagement run starting March 16. Previews will begin on Feb. 21 with a final performance slated for Aug. 6.
“Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece, Parade, is one of the most beloved musicals of the past 25 years. Whenever you mention the show to a theater fan, they light up talking about the first time they saw a production or heard a recording,” producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group said in their own statement. “At City Center, Michael Arden mounted a magnificent production with incandescent performances from Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond that had audiences enraptured. We are overjoyed that we can...
On Tuesday producers announced the Michael Arden-directed production will open at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre for a limited engagement run starting March 16. Previews will begin on Feb. 21 with a final performance slated for Aug. 6.
“Jason Robert Brown’s and Alfred Uhry’s masterpiece, Parade, is one of the most beloved musicals of the past 25 years. Whenever you mention the show to a theater fan, they light up talking about the first time they saw a production or heard a recording,” producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group said in their own statement. “At City Center, Michael Arden mounted a magnificent production with incandescent performances from Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond that had audiences enraptured. We are overjoyed that we can...
- 1/10/2023
- by Abbey White and Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Parade, the Jason Robert Brown-Alfred Uhry musical revived at New York City Center in November starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond will move to Broadway, following the successful recent path of City Center’s Into The Woods.
The limited engagement, revealed in a tweet this morning, will begin Feb. 21 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with an expected closing date set for August 6. Opening date will be March 16.
The move to Broadway of the well-reviewed Off Broadway production has been speculated for weeks, and was announced in a tweet this morning and confirmed by producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group. Platt and Diamond also discussed the Broadway move on Morning Joe today.
Real Big News: Parade, starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, is headed to Broadway this spring. Tickets on sale now: https://t.co/wvkZWzKH1g pic.twitter.com/f9L1uuaBdS
— Parade on Broadway (@paradebway) January 10, 2023
Inspired by historical events,...
The limited engagement, revealed in a tweet this morning, will begin Feb. 21 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, with an expected closing date set for August 6. Opening date will be March 16.
The move to Broadway of the well-reviewed Off Broadway production has been speculated for weeks, and was announced in a tweet this morning and confirmed by producers Seaview and Ambassador Theatre Group. Platt and Diamond also discussed the Broadway move on Morning Joe today.
Real Big News: Parade, starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, is headed to Broadway this spring. Tickets on sale now: https://t.co/wvkZWzKH1g pic.twitter.com/f9L1uuaBdS
— Parade on Broadway (@paradebway) January 10, 2023
Inspired by historical events,...
- 1/10/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Brent Carver, a stage and screen actor who won the 1993 Tony Award for his performance in Broadway’s The Kiss of the Spider Woman, died Tuesday at his home in Cranbrook, British Columbia, his family has reported. He was 68.
A cause of death was not specified.
“Our family is sharing news of Brent Carver’s passing on Aug 4 at home in Cranbrook, BC, his birthplace and favourite place on Earth,” read a family statement. “Blessed with many talents and a natural love of theatre, Brent was always known as a first-class performer, unique in the presentation of his craft, delighting audiences through film, TV, stage and concert performances.”
Chita Rivera, Carver’s Kiss of the Spider Woman co-star who also won a Tony that year, said today, “My heart is broken at the loss of my great friend and amazing artist, Brent Carver. I shall miss him more than I can say.
A cause of death was not specified.
“Our family is sharing news of Brent Carver’s passing on Aug 4 at home in Cranbrook, BC, his birthplace and favourite place on Earth,” read a family statement. “Blessed with many talents and a natural love of theatre, Brent was always known as a first-class performer, unique in the presentation of his craft, delighting audiences through film, TV, stage and concert performances.”
Chita Rivera, Carver’s Kiss of the Spider Woman co-star who also won a Tony that year, said today, “My heart is broken at the loss of my great friend and amazing artist, Brent Carver. I shall miss him more than I can say.
- 8/6/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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