Epsom Light Opera Company are about to stage one of their most dramatic shows this April, Parade the musical.
"It's been some months since I saw Parade and I'm still thinking about it. I can't even put my feelings about it into words. What an amazing and powerful piece!"
This radical musical brings to life the extraordinary true story of injustice and prejudice that changed history forever. Amid religious intolerance, political injustice and racial tension, this extraordinary TONY Award winning musical explores the endurance of love and hope against all the odds.
With a script by acclaimed playwright Alfred Uhry (Driving Miss Daisy) and a rousing, colourful and haunting score by Jason Robert Brown (Songs For A New World, The Last Five Years, Bridges Of Madison County), Parade is a moving examination of one 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 rape and murder of13-yearold Mary Phagan, a factory worker under his employ. Already guilty in the eyes of everyone around him, a sensationalist journalist, a rightwing publisher and a janitor's false testimony seal Leo's fate.
His only defenders are a brave governor with a conscience, and, eventually, his assimilated Southern wife who finds the strength and love to become his greatest champion.
ELOC are no strangers to bold awardwinning shows at the Epsom Playhouse. The director and musical director, James Fortune and Dennis Hooker worked together on ELOC’s award winning production of Titanic The Musical in April 2012, so the society has the same high expectations from them as well as their talented choreographer and loyal society member Helen Parker.
When James Fortune was asked to direct the show, he did plenty of research into the history of the event;
“I spent a full year researching the true story behind the show and the life and times of the people involved. The story extends back 50 years into the American Civil War, so there was lots to research. Nearly every character on that stage actually lived. We know where they were born, how they lived their lives, what their favourite meal was and how they died. Being an expert on the story, time and place, means that I can ensure that the authenticity rings very true to our audiences which, in turn, means powerful theatre.”
There are many regular ELOC members in this show, but we have also attracted highly talented new members drawn both by the ELOC reputation for producing quality musicals and the recognition of the excellence of PARADE among the performing arts community. One new member said:
“I have been waiting to perform in PARADE for years, working with ELOC has been great, the production team are working us hard for a first class performance”
With the group now rehearsing three times a week in the final push towards show week, the society can see all the elements of the show come together, just like a jigsaw puzzle. Chairman Crispian Shepley says;
“It is a real privilege for us to present, 100 years after the culmination of the true events in this story, this powerful yet accessible musical: modern, yet tuneful and lyrical with a compelling love story.”
Don't miss this bold new musical, and experience the show everyone is talking about. For more information about the society, visit www.eloc.org.uk.
Book now to avoid disappointment
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