MAX CHERNIN and TALIA SUSKAUER To Lead the National Tour of the 2023 Tony Award-Winning BEST REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL PARADE
September 25, 2024Parade
The producers of the acclaimed Broadway revival of Parade, winner of the 2023 Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical, have announced the primary castings for the upcoming national tour. Des Moines will host this riveting production from July 29 to August 3, 2025, at the Civic Center. Parade is a deeply moving musical about Leo and Lucille Frank’s fight for justice, set against the backdrop of early 20th-century Georgia. Leading the cast are Max Chernin as Leo Frank and Talia Suskauer as Lucille Frank, two extraordinary performers who are set to bring this powerful story to life.
Max Chernin returns to the role of Leo Frank after performing in the show's Broadway run and at New York City Center. Max, originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio, has an impressive list of stage credits. On Broadway, he created the role of "Max" in Bright Star, a musical written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, and starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford in the 2017 revival of Sunday in the Park with George. Beyond his stage work, Max has appeared in television shows like The Blacklist, Mozart in the Jungle, and Apple TV’s Dickinson, as well as the Netflix film The Week Of alongside Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. A graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) at the University of Cincinnati, Max is a multi-talented performer, having won the American Traditions Competition's Silver Medal and the Carolyn Weber Award from the Lotte Lenya Foundation.
Talia Suskauer is an equally remarkable talent, best known for her portrayal of Elphaba in the Broadway and national tour productions of Wicked. Talia, a Penn State University graduate with a BFA in Musical Theatre, has graced both the Broadway and Off-Broadway stages. She was featured in Be More Chill on Broadway and at Signature Theater, and starred as Dot in Sunday in the Park with George at Axelrod Performing Arts Center. Her regional work includes Gypsy at Goodspeed Opera House, Little Women, and The Secret Garden. Talia’s career also extends to film and television, including appearances in FBI: Most Wanted and the upcoming feature 31 Candles. In addition to her stage and screen roles, she has performed solo shows across the country and at Carnegie Hall.
The national tour of Parade is directed by Tony Award® winner Michael Arden, with a book by Alfred Uhry, a two-time Tony Award® winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Academy Award® winner. The show features music and lyrics by three-time Tony Award® winner Jason Robert Brown and was and co-conceived by 21-time Tony Award®-winning legend Harold Prince.
The creative team also features some of Broadway's finest designers and technicians, including Lauren Yalango-Grant & Christopher Cree Grant (choreography), Tony Award® nominee Dane Laffrey (scenic design), Tony Award® winner Susan Hilferty (costume design), Tony Award® nominee Heather Gilbert (lighting design), Drama Desk Award nominee Jon Weston (sound design), Tony Award® nominee Sven Ortel (projection design) and Tom Watson (hair and wig design). Justin Scribner is the Production Supervisor, Veronica Aglow is the Production Stage Manager, Tom Murray is the Music Supervisor, Charlie Alterman is the Music Director, Kimberlee Wertz is the Music Coordinator, Telsey + Co/Craig Burns, CSA is the Casting Director and Samuel Dallas/ShowTown Theatricals is the General Manager. Parade was originally directed on Broadway by Harold Prince.
The National Tour of Parade is produced by Seaview, Ambassador Theatre Group Productions, New York City Center, Erica Lynn Schwartz, Pencil Factory Productions, Eric & Marsi Gardiner, Chutzpah Productions, Robin Merrie, Cynthia Stroum, Julie Cohen, Marcia Goldberg, John Gore Organization, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, Roth-Manella Productions, Runyonland Sussman, ShowTown Productions, Rachel Styne, Tom Tuft, Benjamin Simpson, Nathan Vernon, Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson and Bee Carrozzini.
To familiarize yourself with the show before it hits Des Moines, be sure to check out the Parade (2023 Broadway Cast Recording), which was nominated for a 2023 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album. In addition, Max and Talia recorded a beautiful video for Broadway.com singing “This Is Not Over Yet,” which can be found below.
