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Parade at Manchester's New Arts Venue
THE full cast has now been confirmed for the revival of the classic musical
Parade, which will run for 3 ˝ weeks at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.
This comes following the recent announcement that London based theatre producer
Aria Entertainment has joined forces with Hope Mill Theatre in Ancoats and James
Baker Productions to spearhead the venue as a platform to showcase and revive
musical theatre.
Parade is the 1st show from the new partnership, the musical will run from,
Friday, 13 May 2016 to Sunday, 5 June 2016 in the 150 seated venue. There will
also be Sunday evening performances throughout at 6pm.
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. 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.
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).
Aria Entertainment is a theatrical production company headed up by
Manchester born Producer and Company Director Katy Lipson, who has a wealth of
experience in producing new and established works in the West End, Off West End,
Edinburgh Festival and UK tours. Each year, Aria Entertainment produces at least
one musical revival; new British musical; new American musical; a play; new
cabaret show; and a season of new musical theatre called From Page To Stage.
Katy has been following the work of Director James Baker for a number of years,
and the musical revivals series is their first collaboration. They have a joint
passion for musical theatre and their future plans demonstrate their enthusiasm
to showcase further quality arts in the North. James Baker's production of The
Rise and Fall of Little Voice won Best Fringe Production at the Manchester
Theatre Awards 2016, in February 2016.
Director James Baker commented:- "Parade is a rich musical and 1 that is
charged with a real story, that being the lynching of Leo Frank. Its social and
political angles are very timely given the global landscape and the social
difficulties we currently face. We've found an explosive, exciting and talented
cast to tell this story, and we cannot wait to share the show with the theatre
enthusiasts of the North of England. The North is fast becoming a powerhouse for
new and exciting theatre and talent and we are delighted that Parade is part of
this new wave of creativity. This is the 1st production in our musical revival
series and is something we are very keen to build on and develop through full
scale ambitious and innovative productions."
Hope Mill Theatre opened in December 2015 and is located in the Grade II Listed
Hope Mill. The 120 seat theatre is the brainchild of Joseph Houston and William
Whelton who, after a career in theatre and living in London, were inspired by
the highly regarded Off West End Theatres and wanted to replicate it by forming
a creative hub in Manchester. The 5 storey mill is also home to writers, artists
and designers.
With a book by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and a
rousing, colorful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (Songs For A New
World, The Last 5 Years, Bridges Of Madison County), Parade is a moving
examination of the darkest corners of America's history.
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.
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.
For information and to get tickets please visit:-
HopeMillTheatre.Co.UK.
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