Directed by Thom Southerland with musical staging by Tim Jackson, the production runs through Sept. 17 and is produced by Danielle Tarento in association with Joe Fredericks and Southwark Playhouse.
Alastair Brookshaw (West End's Cabaret, Blood Brothers) plays the central role of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank, who in 1913 was accused and convicted of raping and murdering a 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan.
Here is a look at the show:
Parade also features Laura Pitt-Pulford (Salisbury Playhouse's Guys and Dolls) as Lucille Frank, Simon Bailey (West End's Phantom of the Opera) as Tom Watson, Mark Inscoe (West End's Priscilla Queen of the Desert) as Hugh Dorsey, with Kelly Agbowu, Jessica Bastick-Vines, Michael Cotton, Terry Doe, Natalie Green, David Haydn, Abiona Omonua, Philip Rham, Samantha Seager, Victoria Serra and Samuel J. Weir.
The musical, according to press notes, "centers on a true incident which aroused anti-Semitic tensions in Atlanta and the state of Georgia. The events led to two groups emerging, the revival of the defunct KKK and the birth of the Jewish Civil Rights organization. Parade covers the trial, and also dramatizes the love story between Leo and his wife Lucille, at the same time subtly examining class and race relations, prejudice, and the Deep South."
Parade was nominated for nine Tony Awards when it premiered in 1998—winning Best Book and Best Score—and subsequently winning both the Drama Desk and New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards for Best New Musical.
Other members of the creative team include musical director Michael Bradley, designer John Risebero, lighting designer Howard Hudson and sound designer Theo Holloway.
The Vault Theatre at Southwark Playhouse is located at Shipwright Yard (at the corner of Tooley St. and Bermondsey St.), London, SE1 2TF. For more information and tickets, call 020 7407 0234 or visit www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk.
