Character guide
Mary Phagan
from Parade
Mary Phagan is the thirteen year old factory worker whose 1913 murder sets the plot in motion in Parade, Jason Robert Brown's 1998 musical based on a true story.
- Show
- Parade
- Broadway premiere
- 1998
- Role
- Supporting
- Music by
- Jason Robert Brown
Who is Mary Phagan?
Mary is a young factory worker at the pencil company Leo Frank supervises, and her murder is the crime at the center of the entire show. Though her stage time is limited, her presence lingers over the whole story, as her death becomes the catalyst for a wrongful conviction driven more by prejudice and public hysteria than by evidence.
The show treats her death with somber respect, using her memory and the community's grief and anger as the engine that exposes deep flaws in the justice system and Southern society of the period.
Mary's role in Parade
Mary is a supporting role, appearing briefly but memorably in the show's opening scenes and in the number The Old Red Hills of Home, which requires a clear, youthful voice suited to the character's brief but pivotal presence.
Though her stage time is limited compared to Leo and Lucille, the role has been performed by young actresses in both the original 1998 production and the 2023 revival, and her death remains the emotional and narrative engine driving everything that follows.
Mary Phagan: frequently asked questions
What show is Mary Phagan from?
Mary Phagan is a supporting character in Parade, which opened on Broadway in 1998.
Is Mary Phagan a lead or supporting role?
Mary Phagan is a supporting role.
Who wrote the music for Parade?
Jason Robert Brown wrote the music and lyrics, with a book by Alfred Uhry.
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