Broadway News Neo-Nazis protest ahead of Parade’s first Broadway preview
Members of an extreme right-wing neo-Nazi movement harassed theatergoers on Tuesday evening. Parade producer star Ben Platt responds.
Micaela Diamond and Ben Platt at the gala presentation of the Joan Marcus Parade at New York City Center
This story has been updated to include a statement from Parades star Ben Platt.
On February 21, as guests lined up for the first preview of the Broadway revival of Parade—a musical about the true story of the false conviction and 1915 murder of a Jewish man named Leo Frank—were members of a far right, Neo -Nazi movement protested in front of the Jacobs Theatre. The individuals carried handwritten signs with hateful rhetoric, shouted at theatergoers and attempted to distribute anti-Semitic flyers to those waiting in line to see the show.
It was an ironic display of anti-Semitism, considering the parade musical is an indictment of hatred. Parade, a musical by Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry, dramatizes the life and tragic death of Frank, a Jewish factory manager who lived in Georgia in the early 20th century. He was wrongly convicted of the murder of 13-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. But Frank was subsequently lynched by an angry white mob. After Frank’s death, it was revealed that Phagan was murdered by Jim Conley, another factory worker. Frank has since been exonerated.
The far-right white supremacist group known as The National Socialist Movement protested the show because it denounced Frank’s innocence. Her flyers also described her opposition to the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit civil rights group that helps victims of anti-Semitic allegations. The League was formed over a century ago in response to Frank’s assassination.
The leaflets distributed by the neo-Nazis were also mentioned a streaming platform by another anti-Semitic group, the Goyim Defense League. This group recently made the news for being linked to the perpetrator of last week’s anti-Semitic Los Angeles shooting – who has since been charged with hate crimes.
When asked for comment, Parade producers told Playbill, “If there are any doubts out there about the urgency of telling this story at this moment in the story, the infamy shown tonight should dispel them.”
A video Shared by The Forward editor Jake Wasserman on Twitter, originally filmed by Madeleine Blossom, shows the scene outside the Jacobs Theater tonight. The video and Other How It showed neo-Nazis holding large signs calling Frank a pedophile and shouting anti-Semitic and racist slurs. Police were called to stop protesters from harassing viewers entering the show.
Members of the parade performers watched the disturbing performance from their dressing room windows. One of the show’s swingers, Prentiss E. Mouton, posted on his Instagram Story: “Are you really doing the true work of an artist when you’re not?[ing] Protest by neo-Nazis? If I wasn’t proud enough to be a part of this production, today it was cemented.”
The National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi hate group, is protesting outside the Broadway revival of “Parade,” stating that Leo Frank, the subject of the musical, was a pedophile. pic.twitter.com/wbGMjRubZL
— Jake Wasserman (@jacobhwasserman) February 22, 2023
After the night’s performance, the show’s star, Ben Platt, who plays Frank, took to his Instagram to capture his reactions. From home, with his dog by his side, Platt said, “It was definitely very ugly and scary, but a wonderful reminder of why we’re telling this special story and how special and powerful art and theater in particular can be.” And it made me extra, extra grateful to be the one who can tell this special story and carry on Leo’s legacy.” He also encouraged theater lovers to come to the show, saying that those who work at the Jacobs know that Theater ensures the cast, crew and audience are safe.
Platt continues, “I just think now is really the moment for this special piece. I wanted the button to celebrate this evening, at least for me personally, what a beautiful experience it is and what a great job all my wonderful colleagues did tonight, not the really ugly actions of a few people, spreading evil.”