Awarded Broadway musical depicting anti-Semitism opens in Sydney
A musical ‘cautionary tale’ of the impacts of prejudice and racism, the multiple-Tony winning Parade, has opened for a limited run in Sydney near a pro-Palestine encampment.
A poignant Tony-award-winning musical that drew attention to the effects of prejudice and anti-Semitism in the United States opened in Sydney this week, to be greeted as “remarkably relevant’’.
The Broadway musical Parade follows the life of Jewish man Leo Frank in 1913 in the US state of Georgia as he’s put on trial for a teenage girl’s murder following a janitor’s false testimony and sensationalist media coverage. Frank was later lynched after a conviction but posthumously pardoned.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry co-CEO Alex Ryvchin said the lynching of Frank was “remarkably relevant” today, noting there has been a 738 per cent rise in anti-Semitism since October 7.
“The myth that Jews are bloodthirsty child-killers which led to the lynching of Frank is rampant in online chatter and anti-Israel discourse today,” he said.
“The lynching of Frank also set off a chain of events that is similar to what we have seen in the aftermath of October 7.”
The limited season at the Seymour Centre adjoining Sydney University opened on Thursday and runs until May 25. Co-incidentally, pro-Palestine protesters have established an encampment at the university.
The encampment is one of a few across the country as the Coalition calls for a Senate inquiry into anti-Semitism at Australian universities.
Mr Ryvchin called on the federal government to treat the high levels of anti-Semitism as a crisis as the Jewish community feels vulnerable, with some students no longer going to classes out of fear of harassment.
Sydney-based Jewish actor Aaron Robuck, who plays the role of Leo Frank, said the musical highlights attitudes from 100 years ago that are still seen today.
“Any type of racism goes against our Australian values, and this musical offers us an opportunity to reflect on our own unconscious bias, whatever that means to us right now in Australia.”
Jewish singer-songwriter Montana Sharp, who plays the role of Lucille Frank, called the show a “classic cautionary tale about how prejudice and racism has ramifications for the whole of society”.
Audiences can expect to see a touch of magical realism brought to the stage by director Mark Taylor, who said the musical explores heavy themes “wrapped up in a nice little musical bow”.
“The show is so steeped in naturalism and reality. It’s a very heavy show,” he said.
“As an audience member, sitting in that real heaviness and having to soak it up can be pretty exhausting, and so we really wanted to lean into the more magical symbolic elements of the show.”
While there are no particular safety concerns related to the musical and the action at the University of Sydney, Mr Taylor said the musical “encourages people to live in the grey areas of life where multiple things can be true at once”.
“And for that reason, this (musical) shouldn’t be treading on toes,” he said.
“This is a beautiful story, and it just so happens to be about a Jewish man who experienced a horrible, horrible thing that had awful repercussions that we’re still seeing in our world today.”
The musical’s Tony awards in 2023 were best revival and best direction. The original production won best musical book and best original score in 1999.
Tickets are available via the Seymour Centre website.
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