Review Roundup: PARADE Opens at New York City Center

New York City Center is presenting Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry's 1998 Tony Award-winning musical Parade, starring Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, with direction by Michael Arden. The production opened with a gala performance on Tuesday, November 1, and runs through November 6, 2022.

The cast also features Florrie Bagel, Stacie Bono, Courtnee Carter (Angela), Max Chernin, Eddie Cooper (Newt Lee), John Dossett (Old Soldier/Judge Roan), Erin Rose Doyle (Mary Phagan), Manoel Felciano (Tom Watson), Brody Grant (Young Soldier), Alex Joseph Grayson (Jim Conley), Danielle Lee Greaves (Minnie McKnight), Christopher Gurr (Mr. Peavy), Jay Armstrong Johnson (Britt Craig), Sean Allan Krill (Governor Slaton), Douglas Lyons (Riley), Erin Mackey (Mrs. Phagan), Ashlyn Maddox (Factory Girl), Sophia Manicone (Iola Stover), Gaten Matarazzo (Frankie Epps), Howard McGillin (Luther Rosser), Grace McLean (Sally Slaton), William Michals, Paul Alexander Nolan (Hugh Dorsey), Sofie Poliakoff (Factory Girl), and Jackson Teeley.

Check out what the the critics are saying below!

Juan A. Ramírez, The New York Times: Not seen in New York in nearly 25 years, this "Parade" recalls an era of big casts, big stories and big talent - a time when musicals actually felt like events. Platt and Diamond are fearless performers, and their duet "This Is Not Over Yet" is a powerhouse for the ages. Their commanding vocals are matched by a confident production that revives the best of the original while pointing at the possibility of growth, and hope.

Steven Suskin, NY Stage Review: Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry's Parade, that intriguing, skillful, and well-remembered problem musical that rose like a princely phoenix but swiftly flamed into ash in 1998, comes vibrantly alive at City Center. Rather than leaving its audience suitably impressed but emotionally unmoved as in prior viewings, Michael Arden's spare but meticulous production unleashes the gripping theatricality of the writing that has heretofore been trapped within.

Matt Windman, AMNY: As Leo, Platt (who remains onstage, and in character, throughout intermission) exhibits many of the same qualities of his Evan Hansen - soft-spoken, tense, scared - and it works. Unsurprisingly, he sings beautifully. Diamond nicely depicts Lucille's transformation from mousy to mighty. But the real casting coup lies with Matarazzo, who plays an earnest, tenderhearted young boy - who just happens to be proudly waiving around the Confederate flag and committing homicide.

Kobi Kassal, Theatrely: Platt, last seen on stage in Dear Evan Hansen, brings Frank to life with a shy tenderness and nervousness that is required of the role. Paired with the supremely magnificent Micaela Diamond (who is giving a performance for the ages) as his steadfast and determined wife Lucille, the two radiate a warmth that we so seldom get the pleasure of seeing. "All The Wasted Time" is a monumental number in the JRB cannon and stopped the show with one of the largest rapturous applauses I have heard this year.