Ben Platt said the ‘ugly and scary’ incident was a reminder of why he was telling this story (Picture: Getty Images for IMDb)
Audience members queueing to see Ben Platt in his Broadway musical Parade were met by neo-Nazi protesters on Tuesday night.
The Tony-winning 29-year old actor stars in the play, which is about anti-Semitism in the early 20th century.
Far-right Neo-nazi hate group The National Socialist Movement, accosted theatre-goers as they queued to see the play, branding Ben’s character a ‘paedophile’.
The play tells the true story of Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent – played by Ben – who was wrongly convicted of murdering 13-year-old worker Mary Phagan in 1913.
Frank was sentenced to life in prison, but never saw out his sentence as an angry white mob lynched him when he was 31 just two years later.
It was later revealed Phagan was murdered by Jim Conley, another factory worker, and Frank has since been found innocent.
Leo Frank was lynched by a group of white extremists in 1915 when he was 31-years-old (Picture: Bettmann Archive)
But the group turned up at Bernard B. Jacobs Theater in New York to demonstrate at what one unidentified man deemed ‘romanticising paedophiles’ in an attempt to denounce Frank’s innocence.
Journalist Jake Wasserman shared a shocking video which showed a balaclava-clad man walking down the queue telling members of the public: ‘You’re paying $300 to go f****** worship a pedophile.’
The mob handed out flyers which broadcasted their opposition to the Anti-Defamation League, a non-profit civil rights law group which helps victims of anti-Semitism.
The non-profit was founded over a century ago as a direct result of Frank’s murder.
In other flyers, protesters also mentioned GoyimTV, a streaming platform which was recently linked to the convicted perpetrator of last week’s anti-Semitic LA shootings.
According to Playbill, the extremists also carried signs penning ‘hateful rhetoric’ while they shouted at the waiting crowd.
The Parade producers told Playbill: ‘If there is any remaining doubt out there about the urgency of telling this story in this moment in history, the vileness on display tonight should put it to rest.
Ben Platt is performing the lead role of Leo Frank in the musical (Picture: Getty Images)
‘We stand by the valiant Broadway cast that brings this vital story to life each night.’
Horrified cast members watched on from their dressing rooms, and the Pitch Perfect star took to Instagram with a short video about the incident afterwards.
‘It was definitely very ugly and scary, but a wonderful reminder of why we’re telling this particular story and how special and powerful art and, particularly, theatre can be,’ he said.
‘And it made me feel extra, extra grateful to be the one to get to tell this particular story and to carry on the legacy of Leo.
‘I just think that now is really the moment for this particular piece. I wanted the button on the evening, at least for me personally, to be to celebrate what a beautiful experience it is, and what gorgeous work all my wonderful colleagues did tonight.
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‘Not the really ugly actions of a few people who are spreading evil.’
The performance on Tuesday was a preview of the production, which will officially open on March 16.
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The group targeted theatre-goers who queued to see the show.
