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Shenandoah (musical)
Encyclopedia
Shenandoah is a musical
that was written in 1975 with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and a book by Udell, Philip Rose
and James Lee Barrett
, based on Barrett's original screenplay
for the 1965 film Shenandoah
.
(Charlie Anderson), Joel Higgins
(James), Penelope Milford
(Jenny), Robert Rosen
(Henry), , Ted Agress (Jacob), Gordon Halliday (Sam), Chip Ford (Gabriel), Joseph Shapiro (Robert, the boy), David Russell (John), Jordan Suffin
(Nathan), Gary Harger (Corporal), Charles Welch (Rev. Byrd), and Donna Theodore
(Anne), who won a Drama Desk Award
for her performance. The rest of the cast included Betsy Beard, Tedd Carrere, Stephen Dubov, Gary Harger, Brian James, Robert Johnson, Sherry Lambert, Craig Lucas
, Gene Masoner, Paul Myrvold, Dan Ormond, Casper Roos, J. Kevin Scannell, Jack Starkey, E. Allen Stevens, Marshall Thomas, Matt Gavin, Edward Penn
, and Ed Preble. The show was directed by Philip Rose
, scenery by C. Murawski, lighting by Thomas R. Skelton
, costumes by Pearl Somner and Winn Morton, choreography by Robert Tucker, dance arrangements by Russell Warner, musical direction by Lynn Crigler, and orchestrations by Don Walker
.
The production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical
, and won two, one for Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum
) and the other for Best Book of a Musical
.
Shenandoah was revived on Broadway
, again with Cullum in the lead role, on August 8, 1989, closing on September 2, 1989. It returned to the Goodspeed Opera House in 1994, with Marc Kudisch. A new production opened March 22, 2006 at Ford's Theatre
in Washington, D.C.
, starring Scott Bakula
. Positive critical notices and strong ticket sales resulted in the show's run being extended through May 21 (although Bakula departed the production April 30).
in Virginia, during the American Civil War
. Anderson does not wish to be involved in the war because he doesn't consider it "his" war, but he is forced to take action when his youngest son Robert is taken prisoner by Union
soldiers. In the course of searching for Robert, Charlie, his daughter Jenny, and some of his sons rescue Sam (Jenny's newlywed Confederate soldier husband), from a Yankee POW train. After enduring the tragedy of losing his eldest son Jacob (to a sniper), and his second eldest son James and his wife Anne (to a deserter), Charlie is finally reunited with Robert at the end.
Act II
, of the New York Times, said it had "beauty in old truths...threaded figures that might be sewn into a farmhouse sampler." Kevin Kelly said in the Boston Globe that the show was "absolutely magnificent....a traditional musical...that tells us something about the suffering human spirit." He also said of Cullum's performance, "one of the great performances in the musical theatre."
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
that was written in 1975 with music by Gary Geld, lyrics by Peter Udell, and a book by Udell, Philip Rose
Philip Rose (theatrical producer)
Philip Rose was a Broadway theatrical producer of such productions as A Raisin in the Sun, The Owl and the Pussycat, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, Purlie, and Shenandoah...
and James Lee Barrett
James Lee Barrett
James Lee Barrett was an American producer, screenwriter, and writer.Barrett, along with Peter Udell and Phillip Rose won the 1975 Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Shenandoah, which was based on his 1965 film by the same name, which starred James Stewart.Other notable works written by...
, based on Barrett's original screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
for the 1965 film Shenandoah
Shenandoah (film)
Shenandoah is a 1965 American Civil War film starring James Stewart, Doug McClure, Glenn Corbett, Patrick Wayne, and Katharine Ross. The picture was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Though set during the American Civil War, the film's strong antiwar and humanitarian themes resonated with audiences...
.
Productions
The musical first opened at the Goodspeed Opera House in 1974 and then transferred to Broadway, opening on January 7, 1975. It ran on Broadway for a total of 1,050 performances, closing August 7, 1977. The cast featured John CullumJohn Cullum
John Cullum is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including On the Twentieth Century and Shenandoah , winning the Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for each...
(Charlie Anderson), Joel Higgins
Joel Higgins
Joel Franklin Higgins is an American actors and singer with a stage career spanning over 30 years.- Life and Career :...
(James), Penelope Milford
Penelope Milford
Penelope Milford is an American film, stage, and television actress.An alumnus of the Chicago/New York theatrical scene , American actress Penelope Milford struck paydirt with her first film Coming Home...
(Jenny), Robert Rosen
Robert Ozn
Robert Ozn , New York City born producer, screenwriter recording artist and actor, best known for being the vocal half of 80s synth pop duo EBN-OZN solo act, Dada Nada, and for his later work as co-producer and co-writer with Colin Greene of the human-rights themed feature film I Witness starring...
(Henry), , Ted Agress (Jacob), Gordon Halliday (Sam), Chip Ford (Gabriel), Joseph Shapiro (Robert, the boy), David Russell (John), Jordan Suffin
Jordan Bennett
Jordan Bennett is an American actor, singer, writer and songwriter. Jordan Bennett began his career in the fabled Catskill Mountains in upstate New York as a singer and comedian. While there, he worked with such legendary performers as Red Buttons and Milton Berle...
(Nathan), Gary Harger (Corporal), Charles Welch (Rev. Byrd), and Donna Theodore
Donna Theodore
Donna Theodore is an American Actress and singer who first came to attention as a headliner at many famous nightclubs during the 1960s including the Copacabana, The Fountainebleau Hotel, the Fairmont Hotel, and the El San Juan in Puerto Rico...
(Anne), who won a Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for her performance. The rest of the cast included Betsy Beard, Tedd Carrere, Stephen Dubov, Gary Harger, Brian James, Robert Johnson, Sherry Lambert, Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas
Craig Lucas is an American playwright, screenwriter, theatre director, musical actor, and film director.-Biography:...
, Gene Masoner, Paul Myrvold, Dan Ormond, Casper Roos, J. Kevin Scannell, Jack Starkey, E. Allen Stevens, Marshall Thomas, Matt Gavin, Edward Penn
Edward Penn
Edward Penn is an actor noted for many television character roles. He's appeared in the sitcoms Fraiser, Seinfeld, Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Nanny. He has often played ministers or pastors, or other religious authority figures....
, and Ed Preble. The show was directed by Philip Rose
Philip Rose (theatrical producer)
Philip Rose was a Broadway theatrical producer of such productions as A Raisin in the Sun, The Owl and the Pussycat, Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, Purlie, and Shenandoah...
, scenery by C. Murawski, lighting by Thomas R. Skelton
Thomas R. Skelton
Thomas R. Skelton was a lighting designer. In a career spanning more than four decades, he was best known for his lighting designs for ballet and Broadway theatre productions.-Biography:...
, costumes by Pearl Somner and Winn Morton, choreography by Robert Tucker, dance arrangements by Russell Warner, musical direction by Lynn Crigler, and orchestrations by Don Walker
Don Walker (orchestrator)
Don Walker was a prolific Broadway orchestrator, who also composed music for musicals and one film and worked as a conductor in television.-Biography:...
.
The production was nominated for six Tony Awards, including Best Musical
Tony Award for Best Musical
This is a list of winners and nominations for the Tony Award for Best Musical, first awarded in 1949. This award is presented to the producers of the musical.-1940s:* 1949: Kiss Me, Kate – Music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Samuel and Bella Spewack...
, and won two, one for Best Actor in a Musical (John Cullum
John Cullum
John Cullum is an American actor and singer. He has appeared in many stage musicals and dramas, including On the Twentieth Century and Shenandoah , winning the Tony Awards for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for each...
) and the other for Best Book of a Musical
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical is awarded to librettists of the spoken, non-sung dialogue, and storyline of a musical play. Eligibility is restricted to works with original narrative framework; plotless revues and revivals are ineligible...
.
Shenandoah was revived on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, again with Cullum in the lead role, on August 8, 1989, closing on September 2, 1989. It returned to the Goodspeed Opera House in 1994, with Marc Kudisch. A new production opened March 22, 2006 at Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, starring Scott Bakula
Scott Bakula
Scott Stewart Bakula is an American actor, known for his role as Sam Beckett in the television series Quantum Leap, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 1991 and was nominated for four Emmy Awards. He also had a prominent role as Captain Jonathan...
. Positive critical notices and strong ticket sales resulted in the show's run being extended through May 21 (although Bakula departed the production April 30).
Plot
Charlie Anderson, a widower, lives with his large family in the Shenandoah ValleyShenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
in Virginia, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Anderson does not wish to be involved in the war because he doesn't consider it "his" war, but he is forced to take action when his youngest son Robert is taken prisoner by Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
soldiers. In the course of searching for Robert, Charlie, his daughter Jenny, and some of his sons rescue Sam (Jenny's newlywed Confederate soldier husband), from a Yankee POW train. After enduring the tragedy of losing his eldest son Jacob (to a sniper), and his second eldest son James and his wife Anne (to a deserter), Charlie is finally reunited with Robert at the end.
Musical numbers
Act I- Raise the Flag of Dixie (Prologue) - Ensemble
- I've Heard it All Before - Charlie
- Pass the Cross to Me - Ensemble
- Why Am I Me? - The Boy and Gabriel
- Next to Lovin' (I Like Fightin') - Jacob, James, Nathan, John and Henry
- Over the Hill - Jenny
- The Pickers are Coming - Charlie
- Next to Lovin' (I Like Fightin') (Reprise) - Jacob, James, Nathan, John, Henry and Jenny
- Meditation - Charlie
- We Make a Beautiful Pair - Anne and Jenny
- Violets and Silverbells - Jenny, Sam and Ensemble
- It's a Boy! - Charlie, Jacob, James, Nathan, John and Henry
Act II
- Entr'acteEntr'acte' is French for "between the acts" . It can mean a pause between two parts of a stage production, synonymous to an intermission, but it more often indicates a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production...
- Orchestra - Freedom - Anne and Gabriel
- Papa's Gonna Make it Alright - Charlie
- The Only Home I Know - Corporal and Ensemble
- The Only Home I Know (Reprise) - Corporal
- Papa's Gonna Make it Alright (Reprise) - Jenny
- Meditation II - Charlie
- Pass the Cross to Me (Finale) - Ensemble
- Freedom (curtain call) - Ensemble
Reviews
Walter KerrWalter Kerr
For the RN admiral see Lord Walter KerrWalter Francis Kerr was an American writer and Broadway theater critic. He also was the writer, lyricist, and/or director of several Broadway plays and musicals.-Biography:...
, of the New York Times, said it had "beauty in old truths...threaded figures that might be sewn into a farmhouse sampler." Kevin Kelly said in the Boston Globe that the show was "absolutely magnificent....a traditional musical...that tells us something about the suffering human spirit." He also said of Cullum's performance, "one of the great performances in the musical theatre."