''Parade'' is a

musical revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

with book, music, and lyrics by

Jerry Herman Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway theatre. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricist ...

. The original production was produced by

Lawrence Kasha Lawrence Kasha (December 3, 1933 – September 29, 1990) was an American theatre producer and director, playwright, and stage manager. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Kasha began his Broadway career as a production assistant for ''Silk Stockin ...

that opened originally at the Showplace in New York and moved off-Broadway to The Players Theatre on January 20, 1960.

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 Dody Goodman (October 28, 1914 – June 22, 2008) was an American character actress. She played the mother of the title character in the television series ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', her distinctive high-pitched voice announcing the s ...

, Richard Tone, Fia Karin,

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

, 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 MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

'' and ''

Mack and Mabel ''Mack and Mabel'' (often stylized as Mack & Mabel) is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The plot involves the tumultuous romantic relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Norman ...

''.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

* Richard Tone * Fia Karin *

* 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

original cast recording Originality is the aspect of created or invented works that distinguish them from reproductions, clones, forgeries, or substantially derivative works. The modern idea of originality is according to some scholars tied to Romanticism, by a notion t ...

was released by Decca Records.

Reception

The show failed to make much of an impression. 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 Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for '' The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of hi ...

"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." Stephen Citron observed that "what these songs lack in craft is made up for in élan....The show end 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

{{Jerry Herman Revues 1960 musicals Musicals by Jerry Herman Off-Broadway musicals