From The Winner's Circle: PARADE Composer Jason Robert Brown Completes His Acceptance Speech In The Press Room

Parade has won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. During his acceptance speech, composer Jason Robert Brown was cut off by the orchestra while discussing the show's legacy. In his visit to the press room, the acclaimed composer shared what we missed on the Tony telecast.

He said, "What I was going to say before I was rudely interrupted by my own music [laughs] was that the challenge with tonight is to balance the joy I feel about this piece of work with the reality of what this work is about. So, what I said on stage is that Mary Phagan was murdered when she was 13 years-old, Leo Frank was murdered when he was 31 years-old. It is the privilege of mine and Alfred's careers that our words and our music have inspired so many incredible theatre artists, like the ones who worked on this production, to bring their story back to life." 

Directed by two-time Tony nominee Michael Arden, Parade features a book by two-time Tony Award winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Academy Award winner Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown, and co-conceived by 21-time Tony Award-winning legend Harold Prince.

Ben Platt as 'Leo Frank' and Micaela Diamond as 'Lucille Frank' lead a 33-person cast that features Alex Joseph Grayson as 'Jim Conley,' Tony Award nominee Sean Allan Krill as 'Governor Slaton,' Tony Award nominee 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,' Tony Award nominee Manoel Felciano as 'Tom Watson,' Danielle Lee Greaves as 'Minnie McKnight,' Douglas Lyons as 'Riley,' and Jake Pedersenas 'Frankie Epps.'

Parade is currently running on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

Leo and Lucille Frank are a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in the old red hills of Georgia. When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice and devotion. Riveting and gloriously hopeful, Parade reminds us that to love, we must truly see one another. Direct from its acclaimed run at New York City Center, Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry’s Tony-winning musical is under the visionary direction of Michael Arden.