This week, the Tony Award-winning musical “Parade” comes to Los Angeles, and its title and subject matter land uncomfortably close to home.
Starring Max Chernin as Leo Frank and Talia Suskauer as Lucille Frank, the show tells the true story of a Jewish man during the early 20th century in Georgia who is wrongfully accused of murder. The real-life injustices that unfolded against Leo Frank led directly to the creation of the Anti-Defamation League in 1913. To this day, ADL touts the painful lessons of Frank’s story on its website:
“In 1913, the Jewish community in the United States faced rampant antisemitism and overt discrimination. Books, plays and, above all, newspapers, depicted Jews with crude stereotypes. Against this backdrop of bigotry and intolerance, an attorney from Chicago named Sigmund Livingston, put forward a bold idea — to create an organization with a mission ‘to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, and to secure justice and fair treatment to all …’ The Anti-Defamation League was founded with the clear understanding that the fight against one form of prejudice could not succeed without battling prejudice in all forms.”
The show’s home page, paradebroadway.com, lists ADL first in a list of “select material “to better understand the sensitive themes.” The list includes book recommendations such as “How to Fight Anti-Semitism” by Bari Weiss and “What Happened To You?: Conversations of Trauma, Resilience, and Healing” by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey.
“Parade” debuted on Broadway in 1998, written by Alfred Uhry, who also wrote “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Last Night at Ballyhoo.” When the show was revived in 2023, Michael Arden won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical; he directs the Los Angeles production. The original cast album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in 2023.
The Journal spoke with Suskauer about her role as Lucille Frank.
“I came to “Parade” by way of the music first when I was a kid listening to musical theater,” Suskauer said. “This score by Jason Robert Brown is magnificent. I think it’s one of our finest scores in musical theater. To find out it had such an incredibly relevant and heartbreaking story was just a bonus.”
While growing up, her favorite song from “Parade” was, “Prologue: The Old Red Hills of Home.” She called the show’s opening number is “a sonically perfect song … Whenever I would listen to it, it just kind of made the hairs on my arms stand up. It’s glorious, but that’s most of the score really.”
Suskauer said the themes feel especially immediate today. Just in the past few days, and only a few blocks away from the Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, clashes between mob rule and prejudice were on full display with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids — and acts of resistance.
Suskauer hopes audiences walk away asking difficult questions. “The story took place over a hundred years ago, yet it feels like it could take place today,” she said. “I hope people hear that and come away saying, ‘wow, has nothing changed? What can I do in my own community to make this a better place?’”
The story took place over a hundred years ago, yet it feels like it could take place today. … I hope people hear that and come away saying, ‘wow, has nothing changed? What can I do in my own community to make this a better place?’” – Talia Suskauer
Director Arden made a deliberate choice to keep the entire cast on stage for almost the entire show. “These incidents don’t happen in a vacuum, there are bystanders everywhere that witness it,” Suskauer said. “The whole cast being onstage to bear witness is a beautiful, really impactful thing.” To prepare for the role, Suskauer read extensively about Lucille Frank, her marriage to Leo and the culture of the time.
The producers of “Parade” are also inviting specific local communities to take part in the show through a series of themed performance nights at the Ahmanson Theatre. These events are designed to make space for reflection, dialogue, and connection around the musical’s historical and contemporary relevance.
On Saturday, June 21, legal professionals and civic leaders are invited to attend Legality Day, with a 2 p.m. matinee and a post-show discussion. On Sunday, June 22, the theater will host a Jewish Community Night, beginning with a preshow gathering at 5 p.m., followed by a 6:30 p.m. performance. The final community night, “Shabbat & A Show: Pride Night,” takes place on Friday, June 27, beginning with a casual Shabbat gathering at 6:30 p.m., in partnership with JQ International and OneTable Shabbat.
Suskauer said that the cast is not only ”musically exceptional,” but the dynamic off stage was ”emotionally supportive. … Everyone takes really good care of each other,” Suskauer said. “The story is really hard. Not only are they incredibly kind, it’s the most talented group of singers I’ve ever been a part of.”
Some might look at the subject matter — a wrongfully accused Jew on trial — and wonder why anyone would make a musical out of it. But there’s a reason “Parade” won the Tony Award for Best Revival and why Michael Arden was honored for Best Direction. The show doesn’t shy away from discomfort. Its music and staging amplify the pain, frustration and bigotry at the heart of the story in ways that stay with the audience long after the curtain falls.
“This is one of the most beautiful pieces of theater I’ve ever seen as an audience member,” Suskauer said. “To be a part of it now is incredible. All of us in the company feel that maybe once or twice, if you’re lucky in your career, you get to be a part of something so special. This is one of those things for us.”
“Parade” runs through July 12, 2025, at the Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Performances are Tuesday–Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdays 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $40.25. For more information, visit CenterTheatreGroup.org or call (213) 628-2772.
