Kayla Lansing and Sam Jones in ParadeWas it justice or discrimination? That is what you'll likely be asking yourself after leaving St. Ambrose University's production of Parade. It takes a mature, professional cast to pull off a musical centered around racism, bigotry, and murder, but these actors do just that. Director Daniel Rairdin-Hale brings the true story of the trial of Leo Frank and its aftermath to life in such a way that I entirely forgot I was at a student production, and Thursday night's dress rehearsal was as close to show-ready as possible.

Bryan Tank and Kelly Lohrenz in ParadeWould it be possible to get a cast recording of the District Theatre's Parade? Because the production is so well-sung by its cast members, I wouldn't mind listening to them perform composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown's songs over and over again. The solos are stirring, as characters sing about their relationships and roles in a Georgia town gripped by the rape and murder of a 13-year-old girl. But some of the ensemble numbers gave me goosebumps during Saturday's performance - particularly the hauntingly sad "Funeral Sequence: There Is a Fountain / It Don't Make Sense," performed as the townsfolk remember the young lady whose body was found in the basement of a local pencil factory.