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Culture Musicals

Joining the Parade

PARADE by Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown, directed by Joel Greenberg, with Michael Therriault and Tracy Michailidis. Presented by Studio 180 and Acting Up Stage Company at the Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs (26 Berkeley). Previews from tonight (Thursday, December 30), opens Monday (January 3) and runs to January 22, Monday-Saturday 8 pm, previews 7 pm, matinee Saturday 2 pm, no performance January 1. $32-$40. 416-368-3110. See listing.


Tracy Michailidis is no longer waiting for the Parade. The Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry musical has arrived, and she’s joined on in one of the central roles.

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Turns out that auditioning for the 1997 Livent workshop production of Parade was one of her first ever professional experiences.

“I remember singing a song from the show and thinking that it was great but daunting,” says the talented performer. “I still feel that it’s daunting, but that’s always a good motivation for me. I like doing things that scare me.”

In the Canadian premiere production, co-produced by the exciting indie companies Acting Up Stage and Studio 180, Michailidis plays Lucille Frank, wife of a Jewish factory manager who’s falsely accused of the rape and murder of a teenage employee in 1913 Atlanta.

Leo Frank’s trial remains one of the 20th century’s most famous, pitting North against South, Jews against Christians and blacks against whites.

“In rehearsals we’ve talked not just about the horror of what happened to this one man, but about the mob mentality in general,” she says. “We’re trying to explore the psychology of the event, how something can snowball and how people can get so caught up. No one group is the villain. Ultimately, I think everyone in the show is trying to do the right thing.”

A long-time fan of composer Brown’s, Michailidis says one of her first Toronto performances was in his song cycle Songs For A New World.

“I love all the tight harmonies, the technical challenges,” she says. “There’s something anthemic about his music. But what Parade has that Songs For A New World or The Last Five Years doesn’t is a narrative through-line.”

Michailiadis has seen two productions of Parade, including the short-lived 1999 Broadway premiere starring her Stratford Fiddler On The Roof co-star Brent Carver and the 2007 production at London’s Donmar Warehouse, which was much smaller and used a reduced cast in multiple roles. That’s the script that the company’s working with.

Download associated audio clip.

“The Lincoln Center production made a big impression on me, but I felt detached from it. I like feeling transformed and emotionally engaged when I go to a show. At the Donmar, I felt closer to the action.”

The Berkeley Theatre, where she sizzled last year as the tempestuous Franca in The Light In The Piazza, is a similarly intimate venue.

“If I could do musicals in 200-seat theatres, I’d be perfectly happy,” she says. “It’s great we’re doing it acoustically. There’s something really immediate and potent about the experience.”

Additional Interview Clips

Michailidis on her role last season as Franca in Acting Up Stage’s The Light In The Piazza:

Download associated audio clip.

On her Greek background, playing Anne Of Green Gables and “feeling” Fiddler On The Roof:

Download associated audio clip.

glenns@nowtoronto.com

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