Bailiwick Chicago to Present PARADE 10th Anniversary Staged Concert, 5/12

In honor of the 10th anniversary of Bailiwick Repertory's Jeff Award-winning production of PARADE, Bailiwick Chicago will present a special one night only staged concert of the musical on Monday, May 12, 2014 at 7:30 pm at The Mercury Theater, 3745 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago. Original Director David Zak and Music Director Alan Bukowiecki (both Jeff Award winners) return once again to helm the Tony Award-winning drama by Pulitzer Prize winner Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy, The Last Night of Ballyhoo), with music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, The Bridges of Madison County, Songs for a New World) and co-conceived (and directed on Broadway) by Harold Prince. Tickets for PARADE are available online at www.bailiwickchicago.com.

Also returning for the special concert event are original Bailiwick Repertory cast members Nicholas Foster and Amy Arbizzani in their Jeff Award-winning turns as Leo and Lucille Frank, as well as Jamie Axtell, David Belew, Steve Best*, Lili-Anne Brown*, Julie Burt Nichols, Alanda Coon, Brannen Daugherty, Kate Garassino*, Jacob Hoffman, Stephanie Faris, Nate Johnson, Randolph Johnson, Steve Kimbrough and Rus Rainear*. The concert will also feature Maria Barwegan, Jenna Dreixler, Stephanie Faris, Annie Goldenberg, Michael Harnichar, Ryan Lanning*, Dan Riley and Melissa Young*.

Bailiwick Repertory's critically acclaimed 2004 production of PARADE earned the company seven Jeff Awards including Best Ensemble, Best Musical, Best Director (David Zak), Best Actress (Amy Arbizzani), Best Actor (Nicholas Foster), Best Supporting Actor (Sein Reid) and Best Musical Direction (Alan Bukowiecki).

In 1913, Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-raised Jew living in Georgia, is put on trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. Already guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, a sensationalist publisher and a janitor's false testimony seal Leo's fate. His only defenders are a governor with a conscience, and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion. Daring, innovative and bold, this powerful true story offers a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance that should not be forgotten.

The production team for PARADE also includes Robert Ollis* (assistant music director), Brenda Didier (creative advisor), Mary-Catherine Mikalayunas (stage manager) and Geoff Bleeker* (producer).

Photo by David Zak