BWW Interviews: Jason Robert Brown talks PARADE's Canadian Premiere

Acting Up Stage and Studio 180 present the Canadian Premiere of PARADE at the Berkeley St Theatre, on now until January 22nd 2011.  A Canadian Premiere, this musical showcases the work of composer Jason Robert Brown, a critically acclaimed up and coming lyricist who penned such other works as The Last Five Years and 13.  Jason sat down to discuss Parade, Toronto and his upcoming work with BWW:

Congratulations on the Canadian Premiere of PARADE! This is the first time our city has seen an adaption of this particular work, how do you hope they will respond to it?

My only hope with Parade is that people are moved by the story. All of us who created the show believed so fervently in the power of what we were doing and the terrible injustice of the story we had to tell that I can only hope that that passion resounds in the audiences. Writing musicals is not a particularly noble pursuit, and I don't ever want to glorify my own contributions to the larger culture, but Jews in particular are called upon to bear witness, and I feel like my work on Parade is part of that work.

PARADE was a collaboration with Hal Prince, what was it like getting to work with such an esteemed musical theatre personality at such a young age?

It was a privilege, and one that I appreciate ever more the older I get. There's something weird and almost anticlimactic about achieving one of my life's dreams so early in my career, but I'm not going to complain!

This show deals with some very heavy subject matter, and therefore requires actors who can not only handle the musical aspects of the piece but also the tough emotional components. What would you look for when casting the lead roles?

Leo and Lucille both have to be actors with the all-too-rare gift of being still. You can see immediately in an audition who has it; most actors come in and want to show you all they have, but the right actors for Parade have a quiet confidence and reserve. Of course, Lucille in particular has some very difficult singing to do, so it's important that she be comfortable with that. Casting Conley is the real challenge, particularly now that he has to play Newt Lee as well; it is a thrill when we find someone with the vocal power, the physical magnetism, and the sheer dynamic strength that that role requires.

Our city has really embraced productions of your works in the past - with The Last Five Years and Songs for a New World both being solid hits. What show would you most like to see us tackle next?

There's only one other show in my canon! I would love to see a professional production of 13 in Toronto; I feel that the city would really understand and respond to the humor and the heart of that piece. And there are a plethora of amazingly gifted young people in town, as I learned when I did a concert last year with the Toronto Youth Music Theatre Company. Nothing would be more exciting to me than to come direct a first-class production of 13 in Toronto!

Toronto used to be a hub for out of town try-outs for new musicals, and has been slowly getting back to that over the last few years (most recently with our production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert) You have stated that you are working on three new works, any chance that Toronto might see any of them first?

As you know, it's really not up to me. Out-of-town tryouts, while extraordinarily beneficial to the creation of a new musical, are still prohibitively expensive, particularly for shows that are smaller in scale and minimal in spectacle, as mine tend to be. But if any of the producers of my shows suggest trying them out in Ontario, I will be highly encouraging!

Finally, will you get a chance to visit Toronto and see this production?

You know, I wish I could, because Tracy Michailidis has been a friend for many years (I saw her do Songs for a New World in Toronto twelve years ago!), but Los Angeles is a really long flight from there, and also, good Lord, it's cold in Toronto in January. So alas, no, I won't get to see this production, which I have heard is fantastic.

When and Where?

PARADE

The Berkeley Street Theatre

Performance Schedule
Monday-Saturday 8 PM
Matinees Saturday 2 PM

Tickets: $32 to $40, with 20% discount for students and seniors

On Sale Now by Phone at 416-368-3110
And Online at www.paradethemusical.com

 

 

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.