It is a fine version, with Andrea Martin a delight as Juno, and Marin Mazzie, La Chanze, Ken Page and Peter Scolari in the solid supporting cast. This version includes several minutes worth of material that could not fit onto the original recording, as well as some extra bits of dialogue. I think the 1950 cast is stronger, but both are entertaining. If you are serious about Broadway musicals, particularly the works of Stephen Sondheim, you have to include this CD in your collection. There is a Scottish Opera version, but the original Broadway cast recording remains definitive.
Mako heads the talented cast of unknowns.
An excellent director open to the unconventional could work wonders with Pacific Overtures , and the adventurous listener will find this recording a prize. I know this score won a Tony and has it's fans, but Parade bored me to tears. I never heard anyone say a kind word about the show until after it closed. It was certainly a noble effort, telling the story of how an innocent man was accused of murder and lynched by a Southern mob just because he was Jewish. Jason Robert Brown's score is literate and thoroughly professional, which set it above the meager competition.