Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry Have Unintentionally Become Leo Frank Historians

At the Tony Awards, after the statues are given to the winners, they are taken to the media room, where they speak to journalists about their prizes. Playbill was able to have some one-on-one time with some of the 2023 Tony winners. We spoke with composer Jason Robert Brown and book writer Alfred Uhry after their musical Parade was named Best Revival of a Musical.

Watch the video above to see Brown and Uhry react to winning, with the latter remarking, "unbelievable, wonderful—I'm just saying adjectives over and over again."

Speaking more somberly, Brown added that he was surprised to find out that the revivals' stars: Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond, did not know about the Leo Frank case (which the musical dramatizes) before encountering Parade. "Ben and Micaela both said that the only reason they know about the Leo Frank case is this musical," says Brown. "The idea that somehow this responsibility has passed into our hands to tell this story. It was very heavy, and also very beautiful."

Adds Uhry: "I'm just deeply proud as an Atlanta boy that I got to be the one to carry it forward."

READ: Parade Has Helped Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond Get Closer to Their Jewish Heritage

The Best Revival win was the production's second of the evening, following Michael Arden's win for Best Director of a Musical. The production came to Broadway following a 2022 run at New York City Center. Much of the cast from that production continued to Broadway, including 2023 Tony nominees Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as Leo and Lucille Frank, respectively.

Originally directed by Harold Prince, the musical premiered on Broadway in 1998, receiving nine Tony nominations and winning two, for its book (Uhry) and score (Brown).

Brown also won Tonys for Best Orchestrations and Best Original Score for The Bridges of Madison County. Uhry previously won two Tony Awards: for writing the book for Parade in 1999, and for his play The Last Night of Ballyhoo in 1997.

For Playbill's complete coverage of the Tony Awards, visit Playbill.com/Tonys.