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Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
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News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
4/15/2003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES- John Snow grew up learning about American history and even though that history isn't always pretty, he knows the stories need to be told. Snow will help tell a tragic story as a cast member in the musical "Parade" which will be presented by the NSU Theatre April 26-29 at 7:30 p.m. in the A.A. Fredericks Auditorium.
"Parade" is the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish man who was wrongly convicted of the murder of 13-year old Mary Phagan in 1913. The musical covers not only the trial, but also dramatizes the love story between Leo and his wife Lucille. The show is basically an historical retelling of the story, but it also subtly examines class and race relations, prejudice and the South.
In the end, Leo's sentence is commuted from a death sentence to life imprisonment, but on the two-year anniversary of the little girl's death, a mob takes him from his cell and lynches him.
"This is a story worth telling," said Snow, a senior theatre major from Mansfield who graduates in May and hopes to move to Los Angeles next year to pursue a career in acting. "We hear about injustices done to African-Americans and Native Americans but don't always hear about what happened to people of the Jewish faith or other groups."
Snow's father was a history major in college and he shared that love of history with his family both the positive and negative events.
"American history isn't always beautiful and we haven't learned everything that has happened to us," said Snow.
Frank's story still resonates with Snow even though it took
place 90 years ago.
"It is still relevant with everything taking place in the Middle East," said Snow. "We are dealing with a group of non-Christians and fighting people who don't believe the same as us. Leo Frank lived a good life. He was not a Christian and was blamed for a murder he did not commit and everyone knew it."
Snow vividly remembers watching the television movie, "The Murder of Mary Phagan," which starred Jack Lemmon and told Frank's story.
"I thought it was kind of spooky. It's something I've always known about," he said. "I was so excited to be part of this. This is the one production this year I wanted to be in. The whole department wanted to be part of this. I felt more attached to this play and wanted to bring this to as many people as possible."
The story appears to be an unusual one for a musical. When "Parade" hit Broadway in 1998, it was perhaps one of the most ambitious and controversial shows that the Lincoln Center Theater of New York ever undertook.
"This is not a typical musical," said Snow. "Because of the title, a lot of people may be expecting something like 'Cinderella,' but this is not a play with a happy ending. People will be more aware and asking what happened when this is over."
The show played only 39 previews and 84 regular performances despite having a fair number of positive reviews. Many of Parade's best reviews were directed towards the gifted young composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown, who made his Broadway debut. For this show, Brown wrote a dazzling assortment of ballads, comedy numbers and anthems, in a wide range of styles, from period music to contemporary pop, all wrapped in a distinctive 'sound' of his own.
"The score is wonderful and even though it didn't last long on Broadway, it is one of the most beautiful musicals to come out in a long time," said Snow. "It has a lot of songs about the South. Perhaps a New York crowd didn't understand the attachment to the South."
Tickets are $5. Admission is free for NSU students. The subject matter in this production may be too intense for small children. For ticket information, call (318) 357-6891.