Published: 14 July 2023
Last updated: 26 April 2024
When he was in primary school in Cleveland, Ohio, Aaron Robuck learned the horrific story of Leo Frank, a Jew who was lynched by a mob in the Deep South of the US in 1915.
The son of Rabbi Gary Robuck and Executive Manager at Union for Progressive Judaism Jocelyn Robuck, Aaron moved with his family to Australia aged 11 but never forgot the impact of that early tale.
“I grew up with the legacy of the Jewish American story,” he says.
Now Robuck, 31, is playing Frank in a new production of Parade, a musical about Frank’s story. Parade had three legendary godfathers when it opened on Broadway in 1998. The show played in Melbourne last year and will run in Sydney during May.
Produced by the legendary impresario Harold Prince, the show was a critical success, winning Tony awards for Best Book (Alfred Uhry) and Best Original Score (Jason Robert Brown).
But audience numbers weren’t good, Robuck says. “The US wasn’t ready for a story of this weight about antisemitism and a cultural divide.”
"When a chorus of white Georgians chants 'hang ’im, hang ’im, make him pay,' the words can’t help but echo uncomfortably in the post-Jan. 6 air."
Jesse Green, New York Times
The US appears to be ready now. A Broadway revival has had great success, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The New York Times critic Jesse Green wrote, "What struck me ... in this well-judged and timely revival is the quick path hysteria has always burned through the American spirit if fanned by media, politicians and prejudice of any kind. When a chorus of white Georgians chants “hang ’im, hang ’im, make him pay,” the words can’t help but echo uncomfortably in the post-Jan. 6 air."
The subject matter remains challenging for a musical. “When people hear it is a musical, they expect a certain entertainment value. Especially with a name like Parade, they presume [it will have] that old school Americana glitz. Parade plays with that,” says Robuck.
