Weekly Kibbitz
Members of a neo-Nazi group rallied the night of
Feb. 21 outside the Broadway theater that is hosting
“Parade,” a play about the 1915 lynching of a Jewish
man in Georgia.

“It was defi nitely very ugly and scary, but [also] a
wonderful reminder of why we’re telling this particular
story, and how special and powerful art and particularly
theater can be,” star Ben Platt said in a statement on
Instagram after the performance, the fi rst preview in
the revival’s Broadway run.

Platt stars as Leo Frank, the Jewish manager of an
Atlanta pencil factory who was accused of murdering
a girl whose body was found there in 1913. Despite
little evidence, Frank was found guilty of killing Mary
Phagan, who had worked at the factory, and was
sentenced to death. In 1915, when Frank’s sentence
was commuted to life in prison, he was kidnapped by
an armed mob and lynched. The case spurred both the
creation of the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish
civil rights group whose activities include monitoring
neo-Nazi activity, and the revival of the Ku Klux Klan
white supremacist hate group.

The protesters, who identifi ed with the National
Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi group headquartered
in Florida that has a swastika in its logo,
carried a poster that accused Frank of
being a pedophile, according to videos
shared from the incident. That allegation is
Micaela Diamond and Ben Platt during the opening night
frequently made by neo-Nazis who reject
for “Parade” at New York City Center on Nov. 1, 2022
the consensus that Frank was innocent
of the crime. They see the advocacy on
his behalf as evidence of Jewish control of the media, a antisemitism is on the rise in the United States.

longstanding antisemitic trope.

“I just think that now is really the moment for this
The “Parade” protesters also distributed antisemitic particular piece,” he said. “I just wanted the button
literature and criticized the ADL, according to videos on the evening, at least for me personally, to be to
shared on social media from the scene. One video celebrate what a beautiful experience it is and what
shared on Twitter suggested that at least some people gorgeous work all of my wonderful colleagues did
present jeered the neo-Nazis. The protesters held tonight. Not the really ugly actions of a few people who
a white banner with red capital letters reading “Leo are spreading evil.”
frankly was a pedo.”
Platt thanked the Bernard Jacobs Theater for keeping
“Are you really doing the real work of an artist if cast and audience members “super safe and secure — as
you aren’t be[ing] protested by Neo Nazis?” a cast you will be, too, when you come see the show.”
member, Prentiss Mouton, posted on Instagram, over
“Parade” fi rst played on Broadway in 1998. The
a clip of the incident fi lmed from above. “If I wasn’t musical written by Jason Robert Brown and Albert
proud enough to be a part of this production it was Uhry won Tony awards for best book and best score.

solidifi ed today.”
The revival, which offi cially begins March 16, follows a
Platt, who is Jewish, said the incident underscored seven-performance off -Broadway run last year.

the need for “Parade” at a time when watchdogs say
— Philissa Cramer | JTA
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Bruce Glikas/WireImage/GettyImages via JTA
Neo-Nazis Rally Outside Broadway Preview
of ‘Parade,’ About an Antisemitic Murder