PARADE Extends at Hope Mill Theatre

The long-awaited revival of the hit musical Parade at Manchester's new fringe theatre is now open to rave reviews at Hope Mill Theatre. The producers have also announced that the production is to be extended for an extra week by popular demand and will now run until Saturday 11th June.

The Tony Award-winning Musical Parade features religious intolerance, murder, political injustice and racial tension, and explores the endurance of love and hope against all the odds. Daring, innovative and bold, Parade is filled with soaring music and a heart-wrenching story, offering a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance that should not be forgotten.

London-based theatre producer Aria Entertainment has joined forces with Hope Mill Theatre and James Baker Productions to spearhead the 150-seater Manchester venue as a platform to showcase and revive musical theatre - with Parade being the first production to be presented as part of the new partnership.

Parade is a major production, big in ambition with both its cast and staging. It features a full cast of 15 actors, a 9-strong orchestra, produced by a full creative team and directed by James Baker. The performance run is unique in that there will also be Sunday evening performances throughout at 6pm.

Producer Katy Lipson, Aria Entertainments said "I am absolutely delighted with the response to the opening performances of Parade, the show has received fantastic reviews and standing ovations at each performance. The word of mouth of the show has spread across the region, so much so that we have decided to extend the show by another week due to public demand, I would like to thank Manchester, my own town for supporting this new venture and we are already planning future productions with the venue."

The cast is led by Tom Lloyd as Leo Frank and Laura Harrison as Lucille Frank. Tom's acting credits include Sell A Door's Seussical in the West End, and he was nominated for the Best Male Performance in the Off West End Awards for Stiles and Drew's production of Just So at the Tabard Theatre London. Laura recently played Tiger Lily in Peter Pan for UK Productions, and is currently touring the UK with Blood Brothers.

The cast also features Jennifer Harraghy (Pride And Prejudice, The Return Of The Soldier); Nathan Summers (Jesus Christ Superstar, Guys And Dolls); Ben Jackson; Matt Mills (Scrooge, Romeo And Juliet); Shekinah McFarlane (Lion King, Little Shop Of Horrors); Andrew Gallo (The Theory Of Relativity, Saturday Night Fever); James Wolstenholme (Star-Spangled Girl, Rainbow Live); Aidan Banyard; John Mulleady (Skriker, Famous For Fifteen Minutes); Megan Ormiston; Evie Blackstock; Anna Berentzen (Much Ado About Nothing, Sense And Sensibility); and Natalie Hollingworth (Fame, West Side Story).

Parade is a moving examination of the darkest corners of America's history. The book was penned by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy), and has a rousing, colourful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (Songs For A New World, The Last Five Years, Bridges Of Madison County).

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 Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion.

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