FREEDOM'S CHILD!!! With the unforgettable overwhelming response of last night's sold out 50th Anniversary concert production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Manhattan Concert Productions has already made the official revilement of their next concert presentation of a classic musical. For their 11th year in their Broadway Series, MCP's next show will be….. Frank Wildhorn's THE CIVIL WAR.

The concert will mark the directorial debut of Tony Award nominated performer Tony Yazbeck (returning to Broadway next month in Flying Over Sunset) and will feature musical direction by Jason Howland (the recent musical director of Beautiful – The Carole King Musical). It is set for February 14th, 2021 once again at David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center.

THE CIVIL WAR features a score by Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy along with an original book by Wildhorn and Gregory Boyd. It centers on life during the American Civil War with the songs being told portraying the war through the viewpoints of Union, Confederate, and slavery. It features notable songs including A HOUSE DIVIDED, TELL MY FATHER, IF PRAYIN' WERE HORSES. SOMEDAY, CANDLE IN THE WINDOW, THE HONOR OF YOUR NAME, and THE GLORY.

The show was first conceived Frank Wildhorn in 1999 following the triumphant success of Jekyll & Hyde and The Scarlett Pimpernel (which was previously performed by MCP last year in 2019). He along with Jack Murphy and Gregory Boyd got the inspiration through correspondence, diaries, newspaper accounts, speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, even the poetry of Walt Whitman, to communicate the real-life experiences of the soldiers and civilians who endured the war.

It had its world premiere in the Fall of 1998 at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas. Under the direction of Nick Corley, the cast originally starred…

Wildhorn's then wife and powerhouse performer Linda Eder as "Hanna Hopes",

Keith Byron Kirk as "Frederick Douglass",

Tony Award winner Beth Leavel in the dual roles of "Mrs. Lydia Bixby" and "Violet",

Jesse Lenat as "Autolycus Fell",

Capathia Jenkins as "Hope Jackson",

Matt Bogart as "Pvt. Nathaniel Taylor"

and Michael Lanning as "Capt. Emmet Lochran".

Following the Houston, a studio concept album of the show was released in 1999 from Atlantic Records. The concept album was released as both a 2 disc recording and a highlights album (which debuted on Billboard's Top Country Albums at #48. The album itself featured the talents of Linda Eder, Maya Angelou, Hootie and the Blowfish, Betty Buckley, and more.

THE CIVIL WAR officially arrived on Broadway in the Spring of 1999 at the St. James Theatre. It was a huge flop running for only 35 previews and 61 regular performances. Under the direction of Tony winner Jerry Zaks, the cast featured….

Keith Byron Kirk as "Frederick Douglass",

Michel Bell as "Clayton Toler",

Beth Leavel in the dual roles of "Mrs. Lydia Bixby" and recast as "Mabel"),

Leo Burmesteras "Autolycus Fell",

Capathia Jenkins as "Hope Jackson" (renamed "Harriet Jackson",

Matt Bogart as "Pvt. Nathaniel Taylor" (renamed "Pvt. Sam Taylor"),

Michael Lanning as "Capt. Emmet Lochran".

and Irene Molloy as "Sarah McEwen".

Despite being a flop on Broadway, the show went on to earn a huge cult following. Today, it's still being performed regionally.

Who is excited?!!!

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Author: NYBroadwayTours