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APPEARING ON STAGE: Among vocalists performing at "A Night on Broadway" are, from left, Josh Berg, Andrea Corbett, Rebecca Crow, Adam Tracy (seated) and Kate Garrick. (The Observer/LAURA MACKIE-HANCOCK).

By Melanie Teas

For The Observer

Simple costumes, no fancy sets and some great singing — that is the repertoire for Eastern Oregon University's annual production of "A Night on Broadway" to be performed by the EOU Chamber Choir this weekend.

The concept of "A Night on Broadway" is to allow as many singers as possible the opportunity to have their moment in the spotlight. It is an educational journey that brings out the best in the students and allows for a great deal of individual growth.

Chamber choir member David Mather said, "This concert gives the choir a chance to perform something that is different than the regular genre of music, to show off their talent and to give community members a taste of the variety in Broadway musicals."

The end result is a stunning display of lyrical singing as well as the power of the full chorus singing together.

This year, the EOU Chamber Choir will present the Broadway musical "Parade." The play is based on the tragic, true story of the trial and lynching of Leo Frank, a Brooklyn-born Jew living in Atlanta who was wrongly accused of the murder of one of his young employees, 13-year-old Mary Phagan.

Daring, innovative and bold, "Parade" won well-earned Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score in 2000. Its subject matter offers a moral lesson about the dangers of prejudice and ignorance that should not be forgotten.

Though it is difficult to play prejudiced and lying individuals, the EOU Chamber Choir members believe that the characters in "Parade" are essential for reminding people about the past, and present a view of prejudice that continues to flourish.

Choir member Audrey Oldham said, "This is an incredibly powerful story. People are really going to have to keep in mind that this is a piece of American history, that it's a true story, and take from it what they can."

The 1914 Leo Frank case had an impact on society that can still be felt today. In 1915, some of the 25 men who lynched Leo Frank became known as The Knights of Mary Phagan. This group became the resurrected Ku Klux Klan.

One positive outcome of the Frank case was the formation of the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League, which to this day battles bigotry. Most importantly, the Frank case became the basis for a number of United States Supreme Court rulings that have changed the standards of trials in America.

In 1982, Alonzo Mann came forward with the information that he had seen Jim Conley dragging Mary Phagan's body. Conley threatened to kill Mann, who was a 13-year-old office boy at Leo Frank's pencil factory at the time.

On March 11, 1986, more than 70 years after his lynching, the Georgia Board of Pardons posthumously pardoned Leo Frank. Frank is buried in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his family.

"A Night on Broadway" will take place Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in the McKenzie Theatre. Tickets are $4 for students and seniors and $6 for adults and are available at the EOU Bookstore, Sunflower Books and at the door.

Melanie Teas is a senior at EOU majoring in history and English. She has been a member of the EOU Chamber Choir for the past four years.