Saturday, October 22, 2011

Rumblin' and rollin' at Ford's

I've now seen Parade at Ford's Theatre four times, so I guess it's about time for me to review it. Parade is the true story of the 1913 murder of Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old girl who worked at a pencil factory in Atlanta, and the trial and lynching of Leo Frank, a Jew from Brooklyn with a college education who was the superintendent of the factory. It's a musical.

One of the things that I really like about the show is that Leo Frank isn't really a sympathetic character, particularly in the first act. He's cold toward his wife, Lucille. He feels alienated from the people surrounding him. He has an air of superiority about him. He does have a song, "How Can I Call This Home?" that gives us his point of view, but...this is also the guy who says, "Oh, not 'Fagin' as in Dickens; 'Phagan' as in 'phalanx'!" It's played for laughs, but...yeah.

I also appreciate that the story has so many layers--anti-Semitism, racism, media sensationalism. I know I'm a total geek, but it makes me happy that I walked away from it wanting to know more, wanting to read more about the Leo Frank case.

The score is impressive. One of the hard things about a story like this (and there are many) is that it's all so somber. The songs usually effectively run into each other, meaning that the audience doesn't feel obligated to applaud a song when it might feel awkward. (And let's face it, there's no good way to applaud a song in which a teenage boy curses the murderer of a girl he liked. It's like in Les Mis, how Javert's Suicide bleeds into "Turning," which bleeds into "Empty Chairs, Empty Tables." You can applaud, but it doesn't feel weird if you don't.)

And the acting. I found James Konicek's Hugh Dorsey, the prosecuting attorney, particularly notable. The way the part is written gives the actor a lot of flexibility. Konicek portrays Dorsey not as some major villain (unlike his comical portrayal of Benedict Arnold in Liberty Smith earlier this year, also at Ford's), but as a man who isn't entirely comfortable with what he's doing. He always goes ahead and makes the wrong choice, but isn't running into the moral dark side with abandon.

One of the most striking moments in the show for me is in the courtroom scene, when some of the girls from the factory testify again Frank. They portray him as a predator, which leads to his song, "Come Up to My Office." I didn't need to be sold on Euan Morton as a fantastic actor (loved him in Chess and the cabaret I saw him do in Baltimore last October), but if I did, this would do it. The cold, detached man we've seen throughout the first act suddenly becomes an aggressive, leering harasser. It's a great number, with a neat little dance in it, and Morton's transformation to and from the character in that song is amazing.

(Side note: I've had the chance to meet Euan Morton a few times, and he's honestly a great guy. It's always nice finding out that an incredibly talented guy who's been nominated for a Tony and an Olivier Award is also a really good person. Who is VERY fond of baked goods.)

The heart of the story is Lucille Frank, played by Jenny Fellner, who's glorious. I love her voice and her passion, and want to acknowledge the costume designer here for a minute. Early in the show, Lucille wears an outfit that kept pinging my brain until I realized it was because it reminded me of an outfit I'd seen in a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt, from the same time period. Kudos!

The show isn't perfect. It leaves you with the impression that the defense didn't do anything. It's very long (though I never found myself bored during it, but 2.5 hours is a LONG time). It has a small cast and many characters play multiple parts, which can be confusing at times.

But it's a powerful, well-acted show that's full of fantastic music.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

iTunes as an indicator that I have too many showtunes

I was listening to iTunes and a song called "The Robbery" popped up...and it was one of three with that title. From, yes, three different musicals: Blood Brothers, Les Miserables, and Oliver.

Do you want to know if you have too many showtunes? Check for things like the number of songs you have called "Overture" (my count: 23) or "Entr'acte" (9) or "Finale" (26). I also have 14 "Prologue"s and 4 "Epilogue"s.

I mean, I guess my "Showtunes" playlist with 1,662 songs (nearly 4 days' worth!) is another good indicator. (And no, I'm not entirely sure if it's up-to-date or whether I caught all the showtunes in my library.)

(Another note: I have 5 songs called "Confrontation," but two are different Les Mis recordings and two are different Jekyll & Hyde [don't judge!] recordings.)