The Ahmanson – June 19, 2025
I saw this one come up on Today Tix and then waited for a sale, but I feel like I bought these tickets an eternity ago. It wasn’t as back-to-back as The Addams Family and Hugh Jackman, but it was still two nights in a row. Luckily, I was able to get a little bit of rest and sleep in on the Juneteenth holiday. I was puttering around the house thinking I had time to spare when I looked at the clock and realized I’d lost half an hour. Maps told me 405 to the 10 which is usually not a good way to go, but maybe it was due to the holiday. I got there in about 40 minutes. Not bad. I beat Julie, but barely. She ended up parking next to me. I’d gotten our tickets in Row B of the balcony. A little off to the side, but not bad. I had googled Parade a few days before the show just to see what I was getting myself into and based on what I’d read, it could have gone horribly wrong.
Parade is the true story of Leo Frank, a Jew in Atlanta, Georgia who in 1913 was accused of raping and murdering a 13 year old girl. Heavy material. The stage is set with a large platform in the center surrounded by various furniture – chairs, a desk, floor lamps. The orchestra is onstage behind a large semi-transparent screen. They use the screen to project bits of the story, newspaper articles, pictures of the people the actors are portraying, etc. Later in the show the girl who’d been murdered appeared behind it, dramatically lit.
The show begins in the Civil War era where a young man is leaving his young lady to go off to war. This sets the scene for the Civil War Memorial Parade which recurs several times throughout the show to demonstrate the passing of time. We are introduced to the Franks who don’t seem to get along super well. Lucille Frank was born and raised in Georgia, while Leo moved to Atlanta from Brooklyn and is struggling a bit with the culture shock. Lucille’s uncle gave him a job running a pencil factory and he works very hard to make a success of it. We are then introduced to Mary Phagan, the murdered girl, and some of her friends. She goes to see Mr. Frank to collect her paycheck and that’s the last time we see Mary alive. Leo is accused of the murder, tried and convicted thanks in no small part to a reporter trying to make a name for himself and a D.A. who cares more about a conviction – any conviction – than finding the person who actually committed the crime. It’s easy to turn the jury against Leo because he’s an outsider. Lucille fights tirelessly to get her husband freed and manages to convince the governor to step in and do some investigating. The governor finds that many of the star witnesses were coached on their testimony and lied. He commutes the death sentence to life in prison and moves Leo to another prison for his safety. Throughout the story, Leo and Lucille are falling more and more in love with each other. She is certain that the life sentence will be dropped in time, but then a lynch mob comes for Leo.
As I mentioned, this musical could have gone horribly wrong, but it was sooooo good! The performers were fantastic! The music was great, the staging was seamless. They took this really weighty storyline, breathed life into it and really made it work. It was worth far more than the $22.50 I paid for my ticket.
After the show, I was directed to take the long way out under Grand and exiting at Hill. It was longer, but faster because all the cars were bottlenecked trying to exit at Grand. And of course, my phone doesn’t work underground so I couldn’t set the map to direct me. Good thing I’ve spent so much time Downtown because I was able to make a right on Hill, go down to 5th and get on the freeway. Once I was home and was finally able to look at my phone, I saw the notification from Today Tix that I’d purchased 18 tickets this year so I’ve made Gold Status again for next year and it’s only June! Maybe next year I’ll see if I can do it in May.