Max Chernin & Talia Suskauer Will Lead PARADE On Tour

BroadwayWorld has learned that Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer will lead the tour of Broadway revival of Parade as Leo and Lucille Frank, which will tour in 2025. The musical, which won the 2023 Tony Award®  for Best Revival of a Musical and was nominated for a Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album, will launch its tour in January 2025 at Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, followed by its official tour premiere at Hennepin Theatre Trust’s historic Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis.

Parade is directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Arden, with 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.

Max Chernin is thrilled to reunite with his Parade family after being a part of the show's award-winning runs on Broadway and at New York City Center. Hailing from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Max is recognized for playing “Samuel Strong” on Seasons 2 and 3 of the Apple TV+ comedy “Dickinson,” and co-starred opposite Adam Sandler and Chris Rock in the Netflix/Happy Madison comedy feature film The Week Of, directed by Robert Smigel. On Broadway, he created the role of “Max” in Steve Martin & Edie Brickell’s Bright Star, and starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford in the 2017 revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George. Max has appeared on New York stages in Brooklynite at Vineyard Theatre, Bernstein's Mass at Lincoln Center, and The Golden Apple at New York City Center. Recent stage credits include the lead role of “Andrew” in the world premiere of Passing Through at Goodspeed Opera House, Motel in Fiddler on the Roof at The Muny, Buddy in Elf at PTC and NCT), and Jervis in Daddy Long Legs at Theatre Raleigh. On television, Max has guest starred on “The Blacklist,” “The Family,” and “Mozart in the Jungle.” He holds a BFA from Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and won the American Traditions Competition's Silver Medal and the Lotte Lenya Foundation’s Carolyn Weber Award.

Talia Suskauer has played Elphaba in both the Broadway and the National Tour productions of Wicked. Her other New York credits include Be More Chill, both on Broadway and at Signature Theater. Regionally, Talia has starred as Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at Axelrod Arts Performing Arts Center, Louise in Gypsy at Goodspeed Opera House, Jo in Little Women, and Lily in The Secret Garden. Her film and television credits include “FBI: Most Wanted” and 31 Candles to be released next year.  She is currently playing Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at Ogunquit Playhouse. Talia has performed at Carnegie Hall and performs solo shows around the country. She holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from Penn State University.

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.

Parade played its final performance of its strictly limited Broadway engagement on Sunday, August 6, 2023. This production first premiered at New York City Center where it was instantly sold out, playing November 1-6, 2022.

The creative team for Parade includes Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Cree Grant (choreography), Tony Award® nominee Dane Laffrey (scenic design), Tony Award® winner Susan Hilferty (costume design), Tony Award® nominee Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Drama Desk Award nominee Jon Weston (sound design), Tony Award® nominee Sven Ortel (projection design) and Tom Watson (hair and wig design). Justin Scribner is the Production Supervisor, Veronica Aglow is the Production Stage Manager, Tom Murray is the Music Supervisor, Charlie Alterman is the Music Director, Kimberlee Wertz is the Music Coordinator, Telsey + Co/Craig Burns, CSA is the Casting Director and Samuel Dallas/ShowTown Theatricals is the General Manager. Parade was originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince.

The 32-week National Tour of Parade will then play Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City (January 21 – February 2, 2025), Playhouse Square in Cleveland (February 4-23, 2025), Fisher Theatre in Detroit (February 25 – March 9, 2025), the Emerson Colonial Theatre in Boston (March 11-23, 2025), the Belk Theater in Charlotte (March 25-30, 2025), the Fox Theatre in Atlanta (April 1-6, 2025), The 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle (April 16 – May 4, 2025), Safe Credit Union Performing Arts Center in Sacramento (May 6-11, 2025), the Curran Theatre in San Francisco (May 13 – June 8, 2025), The Smith Center in Las Vegas (June 10-15), the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles (June 17 – July 12, 2025), The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston (July 15-20, 2025), Des Moines Civic Center in Des Moines (July 29 – August 3, 2025), CIBC Theatre in Chicago (August 5 – 17, 2025) and The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC (August 19 – September 7, 2025).