Jason Robert Brown

John Nathan’s article here. London Parade to Release Cast Recording By John Nathan 24 Oct 2007 Bertie Carvel and Lara Pulver as Leo and Lucille Frank photo by Johan Persson A cast recording of the London Donmar Warehouse production of Parade is scheduled to be released in November. The U.K. premiere of the Jason Robert Brown/Alfred Uhry Tony-winning musical opened at London’s Donmar on Sept. 24 following previews that began Sept. 14. In addition to the double CD, which will include two new songs written for the London production, the release will include a DVD of interviews with book-writer UhryRead More »

Man oh man, it’s nice to be home. Don’t get me wrong, I had a tremendous time in London. The Caucasian Rhythm Kings and I did a sell-out concert at the South Bank Centre with three unbelievably talented guest singers; I taught five masterclasses at the best drama schools in England and got to work with some truly gifted actors and singers; and of course, Parade opened in a glorious new production at the Donmar Warehouse to some very satisfying reviews. All that said, between 13 at the Taper, Songs for a New World at Strathmore, the reading of HoneymoonRead More »

To compare the ecstatic critical reception of the Donmar production of Parade that just opened to the considerably more reserved response nine years ago, you might think we’d started from scratch and overhauled the entire show. In fact, it’s pretty much the same piece it always was, except for the new happy ending where Leo and Mary tap dance into Heaven together. I’m kidding, I’m kidding, it’s a samba. Truly, though, if you only know Parade through the original cast album, you’ll maybe notice two or three changes. For those of you who’ve actually done the show, or have aRead More »

Caroline McGinn’s review here, but probably not for long. PARADE Critics’ Choice Four stars Imagine ‘The Crucible’ re-scored by Sondheim as an all-singing paedophile-hunt by Georgian vigilantes circa 1913. And welcome to ‘Parade’, the unlikeliest pond-crossing success of the year. Jason Robert Brown’s musical takes as its text the true(-ish) tale of Jewish factory boss Leo Frank, dubiously convicted of the murder of a 13-year-old girl. It’s sensitively scripted (from the book by Alfred ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ Uhry). And it is produced quite beautifully out of the shadowed recesses of the Donmar’s intimate stage. Indeed, my only quarrel with RobRead More »

Lisa Martland’s review here. Parade By Lisa Martland Published Tue 25 September 2007 at 13:35 Despite running for only 84 performances at New York’s Lincoln Center back in the late nineties, Parade still won Tony Awards for its composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown and librettist Alfred Uhry. Since then the former has been regarded as the cream of a new breed of American songwriters, even labelled by some as a Sondheim in waiting. Certainly in true Sondheim fashion the two writers are not put off by a subject’s complexities, in this case the infamous 1913 trial of superintendent Leo Frank, accusedRead More »