BWW Reviews: OC's 3D Theatricals Presents Extraordinary Revival of PARADE

Thus far in my capacity as a reviewer and correspondent for BroadwayWorld---not to mention my decades of just being a layman theater fan---I have had the privilege of soaking in many extraordinary works of musical stagecraft that awe and astound. A handful of them through the years have even managed to elevate themselves in my eyes (and, yes, ears) as laudable productions that each showcase a wonderful culmination of beautiful storytelling, gorgeous musicality, jaw-dropping performances, and masterful stage direction. While these incredible, near-perfect shows are much fewer and far between than I would wish, when one does present itself, I am all the more grateful for having the honor to see it.

Without question, one of the most stunning, brilliantly-staged musical theater pieces I've seen in the past few years, Orange County's own 3D Theatricals has, once again, outdone itself with its latest gargantuan production: a moving, epic-sized revival of Jason Robert Brown's Tony Award-winning musical PARADE. Now playing a limited engagement through May 26 at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton, this triumphant, emotionally-resonant presentation directed by 3DT's co-founder and artistic director TJ Dawson ranks as, arguably, the best musical this relatively young regional theater company has produced thus far.

It's quite an amazing feat, really. This brand new Broadway-caliber production is so spectacularly well done that even the musical's rather bleak, tragic story---penned by Tony winner Alfred Uhry based on actual historical events---becomes, under 3DT's auspices, a wholly riveting, breathtaking theatrical experience, instead of just a mere re-telling of a shameful, ugly occurrence in U.S. history that, dare I say, not a lot of people even know about (I, myself, certainly didn't know the scope of its real-life origins until I learned about the show when it debuted in late 1998). Pairing this production's excellent staging with a talented, massive ensemble cast to bring Brown's aurally gorgeous songs and score to vivid life make this latest regional revival of PARADE a musical theater lover's dream.

Yet the real surprise for me here, though, was how entertaining the show can truly be when presented in a thoughtful way---despite having a morose subject matter and, at times, a main character who can come off cold and too emotionally guarded. But under the intelligent, caring direction of Dawson and his team of creative artisans which include Costume Designer Shon Le Blanc, Set Designer Tom Buderwitz, Lighting Designer Jean-Yves Tessier, Choreographer Dana Solimando, and Musical Director David Lamoureux, this exceptional revival manages to be both enjoyable to watch and interestingly rich to learn from. We tend to forget that really great theater can often be a teachable experience as well, and 3DT's production of PARADE is a dramatized, emotionally genuine history lesson that slaps its audience to sit up and pay attention to this specific horrible act of injustice and intolerance. It's alarming to see how far we've come---and how much further we'll have to go, considering much of the sentiments dramatized here still lingers in the 21st Century.

Set in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913, PARADE tells the real-life story of Leo Frank (impressively portrayed by Jeff Skowron), a hardworking Jewish transplant from Brooklyn, NY who manages a local pencil factory. Because his religion and educational background don't exactly mesh well here in the South, the uppity man feels understandably out of place in his surroundings---a town where the proudly Southern residents still throw a Confederate Memorial Day Parade every year, and where non-whites and non-Christians are looked upon with disdain, loathing, and suspicion.

Feeling trapped and uneasy, Leo's incessant protests about the town he lives in are often rained down on his long-neglected wife Lucille (the glorious Caitlin Humphreys), which, along with Leo's work-aholic habits, places an extra strain in their marriage. Though she clearly loves him, Lucille cannot help but question whether her marriage to Leo is something she'll regret in the future. Still, she does love him... and carries on, hopeful and optimistic.

Then, the unthinkable. One night, one of Leo's young teenaged employees Mary Phagan (Valerie Rose Lohman) is found to have been raped and murdered in the basement of the pencil factory. With no viable suspects and the local prosecutor Hugh Dorsey (Norman Large) getting pressured by Governor Jack Slaton (Robert Yacko) and the upset townspeople to resolve the case quickly, all eyes inadvertently shift toward the very innocent Leo---the Jewish outsider who happens to be Mary's boss---as the prime suspect in the murder.

The unfair and clearly concocted case against Leo is further helped along by completely fabricated testimonials from hysterical night watchman Newt Lee (Harrison White), a trio of highly gullible young women whom Mary worked alongside at the factory, and, most damaging of all, factory janitor/ex-convict Jim Conley (the mesmerizing Rufus Bonds, Jr., recreating the role he played in the Original Broadway Cast). Dorsey himself orchestrates a plethora of false, manufactured evidence against Leo.

Further exacerbating the situation is the increased hysteria fueled by news reporter Britt Craig (Zachary Ford), who uses this awful tragedy to further his writing career; the angry young Frankie Epps (Jordan Lamoureux, blessed with a marvelous, belt-tastic singing voice) who vows to avenge her friend Mary's death; and Tom Watson (Gordon Goodman), the scary fear-mongering writer for right-wing paper The Jeffersonian, whose impassioned speeches to the grieving public reek of hate-speech and outcries for extremist behavior. By the way, I should mention that with each appearance of the ghoulish Tom Watson character, I found myself shuddering at his frightening presence---mainly because the character's looks and behavioral quirks bear a striking resemblance to Fred Phelps, the notoriously bigoted figurehead of the Westboro Baptist Church. A mere coincidence? (The fact that a lot of these abhorrent, prejudicial behaviors and unfounded mass media-fueled hysteria still exists in pockets today feels eerily chilling to some degree.)

The musical then shifts the story to Leo's highly-biased, unfair murder trial presided over by Judge Roan (Robert W. Laur), where the lies and half-truths fly out with no abandon, and where the majority of the public in attendance---which includes Mary's own mother (Jeanette Dawson)---are hungry for closure and the passing for so-called justice. For Atlanta's African-American community, however, the trial---where the lead suspect isn't one of their own---is a welcome sigh of relief in their daily routines worrying about brutal lynchings by the Ku Klux Klan.

To no one's surprise, Leo is later found guilty of the trumped-up charges, and is sentenced to death. His lawyer, Luther Rosser (E.E. Bell, armed with the perfect Southern draaaawwwll) vows to appeal. Despite the adversity of the seemingly hopeless situation, Leo's wife begins her own quest to exonerate her husband---drawing them closer and more in love. Her efforts manage to open the mind of the now outgoing Governor Slaton, unearthing a mountain of falsehoods in the case. (In historical terms, by the way, this tragedy is responsible for not only the resurrection of the KKK but also the founding of the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Civil Rights organization whose mission is to curb bigotry and anti-semitism.)

Anyone who has ever shied away from seeing this monumental show because it is just too morose of a musical---especially if you saw the overly dark, visually bleak Donmar Warehouse production that was transferred from London to the Mark Taper Forum in 2009---should do themselves a favor and check out this gloriously impressive staging. Unlike that production, which featured Grey's Anatomy star T.R. Knight as a blank, emotionally-stilted, and almost unaffected Leo Frank that was just too damn subtle, 3D Theatricals's revival is replete in euphoric highs and devastating lows that both grab and move you.

Whereas that 2009 L.A. revival was just too emotionally detached-almost losing the gravity and impact of the story in the process---the 3DT revival feels very much like a small story done on an epic scale and shakes its audience to the core. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was a crying mess during Mary Phagan's funeral (I held it together pretty much when I watched this scene in other productions), and was sincerely touched during Leo's and Lucille's heartwarming final love duet in the second act---setting us all up to be all the more devastated by the events that befall the characters in its final minutes.

Thanks in no small part to the more realistically-grounded portrait of Leo created by Skowron---giving the character a personality that straddles the line of someone prideful, yet hopeful and, at times, even understandably frightened by his unfortunate predicament---this PARADE has a resonant intensity you can feel bursting from the stage. And, thankfully, he does it without resorting to overt stereotypes, either. This captivating actor manages to give something to the role that was missing from the L.A. revival's leading man: the ability to provoke empathy and care from the audience.

Yes, aside from Skowron and Humphreys, this regional production boasts palpably passionate musical and acting performances that will floor even the most snarky, highly-finicky audiences. Among the cast standouts include original Broadway cast member Bonds, Jr., whose lead solo in the gospel-tinged "Blues: Feel the Rain Fall" is a surprise highlight; Lamoureux, whose strong vocals in the opening act and during Mary's funeral do justice to Brown's grandiose musical arrangements; and both Ford and Yacko for bringing interesting characters to life.

A rousing, meaningful revisionist re-telling of a powerful story told with empathy, pathos, humor, and gut wrenching emotion, 3D Theatrical's near-perfect revival is, hands down, the best iteration of this show I have ever seen. Everyone from the show's set designers, its orchestra, down to the magnificent ensemble cast should be extremely proud of their incredible work here.

Listen up, OC. You have a Broadway-caliber production house right here in your own backyard. Go see this and every show they put on. Now.

Follow this reviewer on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

Photos of 3D Theatricals' presentation of PARADE by Isaac James Creative. From top to bottom: Leo Frank (Jeff Skowron) faces judge and jury; Lucille (Caitlin Humphreys) contemplates the events that doomed her husband; Jim Conley (Rufus Bonds, Jr.) lies his way from being a suspect; Mary Phagan (Valerie Rose Lohman) gets courted by Frankie (Jordan Lamoureux).

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Performances of 3D Theatricals' PARADE continue at the Plummer Auditorium in Fullerton through May 29, 2013 and are scheduled Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 pm, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm.

The Plummer Auditorium is located at 201 East Chapman Avenue in the city of Fullerton. For tickets or more information, call 714-589-2770 or visit www.3DTshows.com.

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