Interview: Chris Shyer of PARADE at Proctors

Photo Credit: Broadway Cast of PARADE by Joan Marcus

Here at Proctors in Schenectady, the Broadway tour of the acclaimed revival of Jason Robert Brown’s PARADE is kicking off its run after teching on-site. For those unfamiliar, PARADE tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man living in Georgia in the early 1900s who was accused of murder. I had the privilege of speaking with Chris Shyer, who portrays Governor John (Jack) Slaton in this production. While many may recognize him from his extensive television and film work, theater enthusiasts will know him as Sam from MAMMA MIA! on Broadway or Joseph Smith from the Second US National tour of THE BOOK OF MORMON.

BroadwayWorld: Chris, thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to participate in this interview! To get us started, what first inspired you to begin performing?

Chris: Honestly, it was at 6 or 7 years of age, when my cousin and I danced around the coffee table and realized I had caught my mother’s attention with my dance moves. Later in life, when I was 16 or 17, I desired to lose myself in other people’s stories and be in service to speaking for those who could not speak for themselves. I had the opportunity to perform many great roles: Will in OKLAHOMA, Tony in WEST SIDE STORY, John Wilkes Booth in ASSASSINS and Joe Giles in SUNSET BOULEVARD. 

 

BWW: You have extensive TV and film experience, in addition to your theater credits. How do you approach these mediums differently?

C: Working in front of a camera is a more intimate experience. There is no hiding from the camera - and God knows I tried! [Laughing] As you know, live theatre is an actor's medium, and film is a director's and editor's medium. There is no "going back to ones” in live theatre.  I love working in both, and I’m very lucky to do so.  

 

BWW: This is your second time touring, with THE BOOK OF MORMON being your first. Is there anything you’re looking forward to about tour? Anything you’re dreading?

C: I'm looking forward to exploring more of the cities we visited on tour with BOOK OF MORMON: Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and Washington. I want to investigate more of the live music and museums these cities have to offer. There isn’t really anything I am “dreading,” but I am not looking forward to the cold weather in the first part of our tour…and this coming from a guy who was raised in Ontario! [Laughs] 

 

BWW: Well, let's talk about PARADE. How familiar were you with the show and the history of Leo Frank before this?

C: I knew of the original production because Brent Carver, a fellow Canadian played Leo and a good friend and colleague, Andrea Burns, played Lucille (Leo’s wife) in the First US National tour. But, I did not fully research Leo and Lucille’s story until I was cast as Governor Slaton in this US National tour.  

BWW: What drew you to this role and production? What excites you most about playing Governor Slaton?

C: The themes of the endurance of love and hope against all odds; injustice and the examination of the rule of law. It excites me to explore this wonderful story of someone "placing the truth above themselves" with Governor Slaton. These days, this kind of story is a very good thing to tell because people have just decided not to observe truth again: they just ignore it or rewrite it.

 

BWW: As you researched Governor Slaton’s role in the Leo Frank case and the broader historical context of Parade, were there any surprises or revelations that influenced your performance?

C: This idea that he might be more fragile in his inner world and trying to be a “big man,” trying to come off as being a superhuman politician. He appeared to build his whole life on it, but when he's required to be a real man, he initially runs in the other direction.  

 

BWW: Did you feel pressure or responsibility knowing you’re portraying a real person from history?

C: This material is based on actual events and people who lived at that time, but it is also a piece of theatre and there are theatrical creations that help to move the action along. My intention is to be in service to telling this story and be as truthful to the given circumstances as possible. 

BWW: How does it feel to step into this role as the tour begins its journey after the Broadway run?

C: It's a big challenge for sure. I am still experiencing huge tsunami waves of emotion when I’m actively telling this story, so I need to keep myself in check and not get overwhelmed with my personal feelings around the circumstances in this show. 

 

BWW: What’s it like taking a show directed for Broadway and then adjusting it for the tour?

C: I was very lucky to have been a part of previously designed shows that came to Toronto for their Canadian debut (MISS SAIGON, LES MISERABLES, SUNSET BOULEVARD and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), so this has been like returning to a familiar process. It’s been incredibly helpful to work with castmates from the revival production last year. Being able to ask for clarity at times has been a godsend. It is also helpful to hear how they processed the heavy material when they were running 8 shows a week. 

 

BWW: Have any major elements of the staging or direction changed for the tour?

C: Not really. Very minimal. Almost all of the Broadway creatives have been with us since we started tech rehearsals. It’s pretty much the show that won a Tony for Best Revival of a Musical last year. The design worked really well, so why mess with it? But Schenectady and future cities/audiences will see new leads and new principal performers that Broadway did not see. This touring cast was handpicked to play these roles, and the vocal ability of these artists is outstanding!

BWW: Is there a specific moment in the show where you feel most connected? Do you have a favorite moment or line in the show that resonates with you personally?

C: Any scene I have with Alison Ewing as my wife “Miss Sally.” I’m very connected and most grateful to be working with her. I feel, if not for his wife, Governor Slaton would not have had the courage to do what he did. She is the moral code in that family and has his back. As for favorite lines, the line “If today another Jew went to his grave because I failed to do my duty, I would all my life find his blood on my hands” completely guts me every time. And the line I say to Lucille, Leo’s wife, who I humbly think is the heart of this piece, “I’ll try not to behave like a fool or a coward,” is the beginning of Jack Slaton becoming a man and standing in his truth by putting others over himself. It’s a sobering story of his enlightenment.   

 

BWW: Given the heavy themes of PARADE, how do you hope audiences connect with or respond to the story?

C: I hope this story shatters convenient complacency, that it wakes people up to the dangers of dis- and mis-information that can lead to “mob mentality,” and acts as a very important reminder that facts are facts: not liking them doesn’t make them untrue.

BWW: I've got one last question: if you could give Governor Slaton any advice, what would that be?

C: I'd give him encouragement instead. I’d say you did your best under those circumstances to follow your gut and conscience given the fascist mentality you had to deal with at the time. Kudos to you for not staying on the fence, and showing up and standing up for what you thought was right.

PARADE launches the national tour in Schenectady at Proctors on January 11, 2025 and runs through Friday, January 17th, 2025. Tickets and more information may be found at www.proctors.org.

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