By DORIS RUBENSTEIN
It’s been nearly a quarter-century since a Broadway production of Jewish playwright Alfred Uhry’s musical Parade came to the Twin Cities.
That occasion merited an article in the American Jewish World — an interview of Uhry by then managing editor Mordecai Specktor (AJW, July 28, 2000).
In 2008, the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company (now Six Points Theater), in cooperation with Theater Latté Da, staged a production so large and appealing that it was presented at the History Theater in St. Paul; that AJW story appeared in the February 2008 issue.
Now, the 2023 Tony Award-winning “Best Revival of a Musical” production — directed by Tony Award-winner Michael Arden, with a book by Uhry and music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown — is coming to the Orpheum Theatre this month, and it deserves yet another Jewish World story for several reasons: First, the story is markedly Jewish and based on established facts.
In 1913, the Jewish manager of a factory in Atlanta, Georgia, was wrongly convicted of the murder of one of his non-Jewish workers and eventually was murdered himself by a lynch mob hell-bent to teach the “Yankee Jews” a lesson in Southern antisemitism.
Second, the male lead in the role of Leo Frank is Max Chernin, a talented Jewish performer with Twin Cities connections. Playing Leo’s wife Lucille is another rising Jewish star, Talia Suskauer.
Is it a coincidence that two Jews were chosen to play these roles?
Chernin responded to this question: “I was very fortunate to have been a part of the New York City Center and Broadway companies where I understudied the role of Leo. I got to perform the role, and it was a special moment. … Being Jewish brings a visceral connection to the story. It’s so meaningful to bring Jewish traditions and experiences into the rehearsal room, with the other Jewish members of the company. I think it adds an authentic layer to the storytelling. It’s a real tribute to the resilience and history of the Jewish community.”
Chernin’s background echoes that of many Jews in larger cities across the country. Raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Chernin said that he has “fond memories of attending Temple Tifereth-Israel, in suburban Cleveland, with his grandparents, Mike and Toby Chernin.
He also was involved in a program at his local JCC called JCC Playmakers, where he participated in several productions. This led him to graduate with a BFA in musical theater from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
Something else about Chernin makes him even more AJW-worthy: He’s mishpacha to one of the Twin Cities’ outstanding leaders, the former U.S. ambassador to Morocco, Sam Kaplan. “Sam is my great-uncle,” explained Chernin. “I hope to honor not only him but also my late grandmother, Toby, his sister, through my performance. I’d like to think they would both be proud of me for taking on this role, especially given its significance in highlighting themes of justice and perseverance.”
Florida native Talia Suskauer has an impressive résumé, starting with a BFA in musical theater from Penn State University. She starred as Elphaba on both Broadway and national tour productions of Wicked, among numerous other prestigious stages and venues.
However, it’s Suskauer’s personal, rather than professional, history that makes her such a perfect match for the role of Lucille Frank.
Suskauer grew up in Palm Beach Gardens, where her grandmother was education director at Temple Beth David. Suskauer observed her Bat Mitzva there and notes the importance of that shul in her early life. Her great-grandparents were Holocaust survivors who fled the Nazi occupation of Poland and met in a Russian slave labor camp.
While being Jewish has always been important to Suskauer, so has musical theater. She recalled that the sounds of Broadway musical cast albums were constantly floating in the family home — and in the car as well. In addition, she was inspired to aim at a career in musical theater by an older cousin who took the leap into this pool when Suskauer was a teen.
Lucille Frank is someone with whom Suskauer can easily identify. “Lucille is much younger than people think; she was in her early 20s, and I’m just a few years older now — 28. She is very strong and outspoken, especially considering the period when she lived, and I consider myself that way, too.”
Both actors realize the importance of Parade in our time.
“It’s been troubling to watch the rise of antisemitism in our country,” Chernin commented. “This case, the propaganda around it and the subsequent fallout is often overlooked in history textbooks. Parade has the potential to make a profound impact on audiences. While the story is undeniably tragic, I hope it encourages people to reflect on their own biases and how the media influences them. Maybe we can all find a little more empathy in a time so polarized in our country.”
Suskauer expressed her hope that the production “profoundly moves audiences. Its early 20th-century setting is unfortunately similar to today, so I don’t think they’ll have a hard time connecting. I hope the audiences feel unsettled and inspired to think about the ways they walk through the world.”
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Parade, winner of the 2023 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, is onstage through Jan. 26 at the Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Ave. in downtown Minneapolis. For tickets, call the State Theatre box office, 612-339-7007. For information, go to: hennepinarts.org.
(American Jewish World, January 2025)
