Parade is a musical revue with book, music, and lyrics by Jerry Herman.
The original production was produced by Lawrence Kasha that opened originally at the Showplace in New Yorkjerryherman.com , Parade information and moved off-Broadway to The Players Theatre on January 20, 1960.Suskin, Steven. "Chapter. Jerry Herman" Show Tunes:The Songs, Shows and Careers of Broadway's Major Composers (4 ed. 2010), Oxford University Press, , p.314
Productions
Original Production In addition to writing the book, music and lyrics, Jerry Herman directed the show with choreography and staging by Richard Tone. The costumes were by Nilo and the production was designed by Gary Smith. The cast included Dody Goodman, Richard Tone, Fia Karin, Charles Nelson Reilly, and Lester James.Atkinson, Brooks. "The Theatre: Parade", The New York Times, January 21, 1960, p. 27 Some of the songs from Parade were later used by Herman in Mame and Mack and Mabel.Gans, Andrew; Jones, Kenneth. "Decca Releases Jerry Herman's 1960 Revue, 'Parade', on CD Oct. 22" Playbill, October 14, 2002 For example, Herman used the song "Show Tune" with a new lyric and stronger B section, as "It's Today" in Mame.Suskin, Steven. "ON THE RECORD: 'Oh! Captain' and Jerry Herman's' Parade'" Playbill, November 3, 2002
Original Cast
Dody Goodman Richard Tone Fia Karin Charles Nelson Reilly Lester James
Musical numbers The songs and sketches reflected some topical and local subjects, such as Goodman and Reilly portraying New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and his wife, explaining why he decided not to run for president in the 1960 election. "Jolly Theatrical Season" made fun of overly serious plays. In "Save the Village" Goodman poked fun at people who wanted to save Greenwich Village. William Ruhlman wrote that the romantic ballads – "Your Hand in Mine," "The Next Time I Love," "Another Candle" – "might have had a chance to live beyond the show if it had been more successful."Ruhlmann, William. " 'Parade: A Musical Revue' " allmusic.com, accessed December 23, 2016
"Show Tune" - The Company "Your Hand in Mind" - Lester James and Fia Karin "Maria in Spats" - Dody Goodman "Confession to a Park Avenue Mother" - Charles Nelson Reilly "Save the Village" - Dody Goodman "Jolly Theatrical Season" - Dody Goodman and Charles Nelson Reilly "Two a Day" - Richard Tone
"Just Plain Folks" - Dody Goodman and Charles Nelson Reilly "The Antique Man" - Lester James "The Next Time I Love" - Fia Karin "Your Good Morning" - Lester James and Fia Karin "Another Candle" - Fia Karin Finale: "Parade" - Company
Recording An original cast recording was released by Decca Records.
Reception The show failed to make much of an impression.Kronenberger, Louis, Editor, "The Best Plays of 1959-1960", Dodd, Mead & Company, p. 46 According to Steven Suskin, " 'Parade'...didn't cause much of a stir over the course of its 95-performance run." Dan Dietz noted that Brooks Atkinson "was somewhat cool to Jerry Herman's contributions...", Atkinson writing that the revue was more "in the style of 'Little Broadway' than 'Off-Broadway'." Dan Dietz wrote that the song "Maria in Spats", about the opera diva Maria Callas, sung by Dody Goodman was "memorable."Dietz, Dan. "Parade", Off Broadway Musicals, 1910-2007: Casts, Credits, Songs, Critical Reception and Performance Data of More Than 1,800 Shows, McFarland, 2010, , p. 342 Stephen Citron observed that "what these songs lack in craft is made up for in élan....The show end [s] with what would become a Herman trademark, a reprise of most of the revue's twelve songs.... In spite of the Times pan, Parade was Herman's steppingstone to Broadway."Citron, Stephen. "College and Beyond" Jerry Herman: Poet of the Showtune, Yale University Press, 2008, , pp 43-46
References